Get With the Program
by Jeff20
Summary: This is set between the reset of Sugar Rush, and the moments before Felix and Calhoun's wedding. There was some time passed there. How does the girl with a new life win, and hold, the heart of her hero? It's not easy to be a young woman trapped in a young girl's code. This strays from the normal plot lines. Mild alcohol references, and not too suggestive.
1. Intro, Rules, and Notes

**Introduction, Rules, and Notes. (Updated)**

(**Update:** Oddly, in a world of Fan Fiction where even the most bizarre ideas can find an audience, someone had called me out on a _technical _thing. Now, I read, and looked up, and researched facts for quite some time. Since some of my notes and questions could be spoilers for the story as well as the movie, I will put them at the END of this introduction chapter. But I will address the three things I found it hard to explain away. Really, don't scroll down too far if you don't want story spoilers.**)**

Good morning, everyone. For those who want to go straight to the story, go ahead. This is my backstory about bits that have been haunting me for over a year. I've written before, but not for Wreck-It Ralph.

Before anything else, I want to set the timeframe for this story. The entire story in the movie happened within two days. Now, at the end, we have the reset of Sugar Rush, the race to get everyone back to their games before opening time, and then the follow up by Ralph, where he explains life afterwards. I think there is so much unsaid, unfelt, and unanswered. This story is _after_ Ralph, Felix, and Tamora leave Sugar Rush, and up to _seconds before _Felix and Tamora's wedding.

First, the movie was amazing on several levels. Then, I have read many, many excellent stories by the fans here and elsewhere. But, I had many things I wondered about over the times I watched it. In a way, I felt somewhat cheated at the ending. There was so much more to tell, personal feelings left unsaid, and I just wanted more. After reading many studio notes about the years of development, story and character changes, and plots that were redone several times, I wanted to see and feel other things.

But... What were my rules? Where could I go? How far could I go?

My first law was not to rebuild the world of WIR by magic. Many good stories here use software upgrades, new characters, new games or not-real games, or even humans. I wanted to stay within the world as the movie showed us. But there's the world, the game world, and the 'background' world, where things like the trains and Game Central live as real as downtown Chicago.

The programming of the characters gives us worlds, but can be limiting. How deep does emotion go? How does a character deal with new feelings? How much does a character understand 'life'? In a world where you can die twenty times a day, does that really register? And what about love? In the movie, only one person was programmed to love, and that only as background for the character. Even Tamora hasn't 'lived' real love. And people like Ralph and Felix, the product of a much simpler time... how much could they get past the programmed-in emotions they were... well... _born_ with.

Not to spoil anything, but the studio changes frustrated me. In the movie, we see Vanellope's picture on the console. She looks a bit older... longer arms, and a more proportioned head. I feel that was how she was originally. I believe that once the character evolved into the nine year old body we see, the studio was worried about being labeled as perverts, so the relationship had to evolve, too. I think that Calhoun and Felix's relationship was added because of the 'Romance Law'. But seriously... did you watch _Mulan_? _The Little Mermaid_? _Tangled_? Go back to almost any Disney film and you see what I mean. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fight, boy and girl go on world-saving adventure, boy and girl fall in love, get married, etc. It's a story so standard that it only stands out in its absence.

So... perception versus reality. But what does the visual appearance or elapsed time (such as a huge yellow dot, a dragon, or a little girl) truly mean when you are born fully formed, and knowing everything you do in life on day one?

If you stuck with this, and understand me, thank you. Continue to the first chapter, which I call _Dreams_.

**(UPDATE:**

Every movie has a point or so where everything doesn't exactly fit together. This does not make a movie bad by any means. Sometimes by editing, sometimes time limits means a scene is deleted, leaving a hole, and sometimes, something happens "just because". Sometimes it's a glaring omission, and sometimes nobody notices. Sometimes a _glitch_ gets through.

My absolute favorite of all these scenes was in Star Wars. At the end of 'A New Hope', after the Death Star is destroyed, the fighters return to base. Everyone is laughing and cheering. As Luke is getting out of his X-Wing, Leia runs up. Luke calls to her; "Carrie!" He accidently uses her real name instead of her character name. Nobody in the studio ever caught it, and that was on the released version. Now that was an accident.

Now, here in Fan Fiction world, we of course want our readers to enjoy the story. I made the claim that I wanted to follow the world of the movie as close as possible. I wanted to only use anything that was in the movie. There are a few things in the movie that were not addressed, and I cannot 'legally' explain. Since I can't, I have the right of all Fan Fiction writers to interpret them any darned way I want. They are:

-Several times we are reminded that if Vanellope crosses the finish line, she will no longer be a _glitch_. She will become a real racer. But after she becomes Princess/President, she can still do this.

-The trains. We never see the Sugar Rush train. Since nobody seems to recognize anyone outside the game, I personally assume that Turbo hid or disabled the train to prevent anyone sniffing around and discovering what he did. That's why he was the only one who knew who Ralph was. But since the 'tracks' are the power cords, I would think you couldn't walk them… that the trains were required. So in the movie, Ralph enters Sugar Rush in the escape pod. Calhoun and Felix are on her cruiser. So far so good. But later, Ralph leaves the game to return home with his medal, and then returns to Sugar Rush. We never see how. I cannot logically resolve this. Since Ralph had been a reputed Bad Guy for 15 years before Sugar Rush was plugged in, other racers would have talked, and knew everyone if they had been like all the other characters in the arcade, visiting around.

-This is the hardest. Vanellope knew nothing of outside the arcade. Never having raced, she was never picked as an Avatar, and never on the screen. Unlike Fix-it Felix, and Tapper, etc., Sugar Rush and Hero's duty don't have screens the same way. In Sugar Rush, the little floating cameramen fly around. Important race shots are shown on the one monitor at the stands. This is where Felix and Ralph watch Turbo try to kill Vanellope. That must be one _fast_ cameraman… or camera-marshmallow.

So it is my personal belief that the racers picked for that day's Avatars are just standing in front of a camera to display on the screen. Nowhere in Sugar Rush does there seem to be any way to watch a player directly.

So how, at the end, does Vanellope look at, and wave to Ralph? If all the racers had seen the arcade for 15 years, they would most likely have had more worldly knowledge than they did. I can't explain it, so I just deal. Turbo went to great lengths to keep his world private.

-I also make a statement in here that I pictured Vanellope a bit older in the original concept. Someone went to great pains to point out the Wreck-it Ralph Concept Art book, showing the evolution of the characters. Saw it at the book store. Good, but you didn't go back _nearly_ far enough. I will quote:

"The concept of _Wreck-It Ralph_ was first developed at Disney in the late 1980s, under the working title _High Score_. Since then, it was redeveloped and reconsidered several times: In the late 1990s, it took on the working title _Joe Jump_, then in the mid-2000s as _Reboot Ralph_."

Long before there was art beyond basic storyboards, according to the original writers, one of which I believe is deceased now, there were several things considered. Even the President thing was a later change. At one point it wasn't going to be a Princess story, but other ideas weren't credible, because of King Candy, the castle, etc. Several different romantic angles were considered. Calhoun was a later character to the cast.

How much of the history is true? Who knows? According to Disney themselves, it took _twenty-three years_ to bring us Wreck-it Ralph from start to finish. From a sheaf of paper notes to this masterpiece. Notice that a few of the games referenced or seen in Litwak's arcade didn't even _exist_ in the late '80s. I appreciate them sticking with it.

*Technical: I know about the major rules about using commas and semicolons when breaking up conversations. I mangle those rules often. I get them mixed up. Sorry 'bout that.

*Legal: I do not own any rights to any of the characters portrayed here. All characters of Wreck-it Ralph are fully owned by the Disney Corporation, or legally licensed from other companies for this movie. I am not associated with the Disney Corporation in any way, but if asked, would gladly work for them. Really, I love the guys. And I couldn't do any worse than _Planes_.

*Summary: So to those who enjoy the story, thank you kindly. To those who would pick it apart under a microscope to start an argument, who cares? I have fun, I hope you do, too. So there.

**)**


	2. Dreams

**Dreams.**

"_Go on without me_."

If he wasn't looking down, he wouldn't even have noticed the small hand resting on his. Ralph was a tough man. Literally. His hands could punch through a wall without flinching. He could smash through a window without a cut, or even feeling it. He wasn't used to _gentle_. His life had never had the least bit of _gentle_ in it. Over the past hours, he had discovered things that thirty years hadn't been able to do. He had learned to_ care_.

He stared, hypnotized, into those dark eyes looking at him. She didn't cry, or scream, or seem upset in any way about her onrushing death. She knew what was coming, and she was concerned for _his_ safety instead. Then he heard, at the edge of his perception, the tough lady telling Felix something about a beacon. "_Beacon_?" His brain tried to work. He remembered the burning column of light in Hero's Duty, the one that attracted and killed the Cybugs. "_But what could I_..." He remembered the near-fatal glitch at Diet Cola Mountain. That one instant, somehow, he decided that if his death..._ real _death this time, could fix all his mistakes, and save _her_, it was only paying what he owed her.

He was floating, the law of gravity suspended those few seconds that the Mentos crater began collapsing into the Diet Cola Hot Springs below. "_What will it be like_?" He wondered.

Ralph woke with a jerk. He sat up straight, looking wildly about, disoriented. The bricks that made up his blankets scattered around him. He fought to catch his breath, pressing his massive hand against his chest. His heart pounded as he tried to breathe normally, his mind adjusting to the fact that he was really at his own stump again.

"Why do I try to sleep? That's the third time tonight." He muttered to nobody. Sleep wasn't necessary for a character. It was just something to do... to 'go offline' during those long hours, even days, between games. He did more than most. At Tappers, everyone avoided him because of his 'Bad Guy' status, and he usually had a whole counter to himself. Dancing or hanging out at the DDR, where many went after hours, was lost to him, too.

There had only been a few humans playing his game today. They had hurried from Sugar Rush, gathered the others huddled around the entrance, and made it back just in time... to wait the entire morning for the technician Mr. Litwak had called to show up and for them to discover the game working again. Ralph and Felix didn't mind. Their minds were still whirling in the aftermath of what, just hours before, they had gone through. Nobody else knew what had happened, and Gene, especially, sent dirty looks and muttered his way whenever the chance arose. When the arcade closed, he stumbled off without even a glance at Felix, lost in this thoughts, and weary in a way that he had never been before. But Vanellope was safe, and her life restored, and that made anything bearable.

_"RALPH!"_

She couldn't push it away. _He_ was falling. Into the crater. Into the flame. The image flickered in her brain as she sat up in her bed. Her _real _bed. The one stolen fifteen years before. This first night, it didn't feel like home, this room. It was large, and comfortable. The bed was huge, and covered with the fluffiest quilts she had ever imagined. The pillows were soft, and piled high against the back. She shoved a couple up to the headboard so she could lean against it.

Her hands were still shaking. "_Why am I falling apart now_?", she thought, "_Ralph's safe, I'm safe... everyone's safe_.". Then she started to think about her life, and in particular, the past couple of days. There were the years and years of frustration, and anger, and fear of being locked up. The dark thoughts wouldn't leave her alone, even though now she knew that it wasn't real. She couldn't hate everyone because Cand... _Turbo_... took away their memories. But that didn't take the pain away, and she knew that even Felix's magic hammer couldn't do that. Taffyta, the ringleader of her tormenters over the years, looked at her funny a lot today. Everybody was just going to have to adjust. She didn't even know how to properly be a Princess, or President, or whatever. Apparently, getting her memories back didn't help that much. Turbo had gotten to the code only a couple of days after it was plugged in.

She had been like a robot today, standing in the Royal box for the introduction screen. Since she was one of the nine who got the farthest on the course, she was added to the avatars. Quite a few had picked her today, since the humans who regularly played Sugar Rush had never seen her before. She now knew, for the first time ever, why everyone loved the Random Roster Race so much. It was the only time you, yourself, were in control. When a player was on the game, you could do really dumb things, like spin out, or hit another car, or crash off a cliff. You just didn't have a choice. "_That_ is going to take some getting used to.", she told her hands, as if they could understand why they went left when they wanted to go right.

"So why now? I should be so happy!" She was practically shouting at the walls. "What is it about that big goof that...". Her voice trailed off. _He_ would have died for her. _He_ helped her when everyone else treated her like dirt. _He_ didn't act like _glitch_ was some bad disease. _He_ was strong, and kind, in his own way, even when Turbo was misleading him. The thought that he was about to _die_ broke something in her. "_But WHY_?", she thought as she got up to start the morning.

Tamora put down the book. It was a manual for the FP-49 Plasma Rifle. She had memorized it. Still new to the world, sleep came seldom, if at all, to her. She simply hadn't been 'alive' long enough to be familiar with the world yet. She'd only been into Game Central a couple of times to look around, and found nothing of interest. She didn't like the babe-in-the-woods feeling she had had the last few days. She was an expert on her game, but of the larger world, she was as innocent as the little girl they had saved. Funny, she thought, that that 'little girl' had a lifetime of memories, while she, the supposed adult, had only what she was programmed with. Her skills had been programmed, her life had been programmed, even her _love _had been programmed.

Is that what it was with Felix? She thought about the smiling handyman with a bit of a grin. Had it been the first time she had felt a choice in her own life? To kiss Felix was the first, the very first thing she had ever done that wasn't in her programming. Something that she wasn't prepared to feel, and it was good. She stood up and looked in the mirror. "_Why does a Sergeant have eyeliner_?" she wondered. Her face was smooth and flawless. "_Not even bags under my eyes_." She had been called attractive, and coarser things by some of the men, but not within earshot. Her looks had never really mattered before. "_Maybe he only likes me for my resolution_.", she laughed. "_But that's a start_."

Felix wasn't sleepy, either. Of everyone, and with everything they had done the past few days, he felt the worst. He spent the night just sitting in his chair, staring at the wall. There had been quite a bit of knocking on the door, but it had finally gone away. How could he be so happy with his thoughts one minute, and so _un_happy the next? When he thought of his own actions, especially compared to everyone else, he felt embarrassed. And worse... _useless_. The total Hero of his own game, he was simply _useless_ elsewhere. Trapped in the fungeon, he only made it worse untill Ralph had to bust him out.

He shivered at the next thought. While Tamora was blasting the cybugs encroaching on the Finish Line, one shot had gone through one and wounded another. It's head badly damaged, it crawled up behind Tamora, ready to sink a claw into her leg as she faced off the other way, firing madly. Felix had jumped between them and hit the wounded cybug as hard as he could. Of course, the only thing he had in hand was his hammer. The bug was more of an 'it' than a character, and instead of finishing it off, there was the familiar chime, and the bug miraculously, completely, instantly healed. Tamora spun at the sound, kicked Felix out of the way, and dispatched the cybug with a single round down its ugly, open maw. She then yelled for him to get to the exit with all the others.

"_How will she end up feeling about me? I'm no soldier. It had to have just been the moment_." Felix fed his dark thoughts. He waited for the arcade to open, since he would have something to occupy him. Something he _could_ do.


	3. Aftermath

**Aftermath.**

Ralph got ready for work. That's the way he thought of it, even though all he had to do was stand, brush off a few brick chips, and wander down the hill of wreckage to just outside the screen, his spot for waiting for a player to come over. He did remember that the next day, the arcade was closed, and he might, just _might_, go over to Sugar Rush, just to ease the nightmares, and to see with his own eyes that Vanellope was okay.

He was wondering about other things, too. He felt a trip to Tapper's after hours, during a quiet time, might prove fruitful. Tapper seemed to know everything… about games, about people, even about humans… those players that seem to be the only reason the characters here exist at all.

As he stood waiting, he could see Felix on the other side of the building. He wasn't quite his normal self. Usually, he was bouncing around in place, smiling, and almost annoyingly anxious for a game to start. This morning he was just sort of walking back and forth. Ralph could understand that. Maybe he just wants to go see his 'dynamite gal'. A quick introduction was all they had had, while Felix was fixing the cart back up, and the track. She wasn't inclined to talk, since she was scanning the area then, in case a cybug hadn't caught the beacon. He didn't really see the two of them as a 'couple', but who was he to judge? There were some strange pairings throughout the arcade… being from the same game, or even same species… real or not… didn't seem to matter to most when everyone and everything in the entire world of theirs was made of the same bits.

"That's the problem." Ralph whispered. He emphasized his point by pointing a finger into the air. Then he looked at said finger, staring at it like it was acting by itself. "_What is the problem_?", he thought then. "_I can't figure out an answer if I don't even know what the question is_."

His reverie was interrupted by Gene, who was leaning out a third-floor window. "Oh, you decided to show up today!", his voice echoing in the quiet. Ralph looked up at him, and his ever-present scowl, and sort of vaguely waved to acknowledge hearing the accusation. Funny, it didn't hurt. Not Gene, or any other person could make him feel guilty about leaving. Ralph knew that Gene's attitude is _why_ he left to start with, but maybe Ralph had grown up a bit these last few days, where Gene simply had no clue at all. "I get it now. There has to be a Bad Guy. I'm why they're all here." Ralph now knew that bad didn't mean 'bad'. Zangief was right. 'Bad' is a label for the players, meaning no more than 'left' or 'up'. He'd heard that some were programmed to the core. That they were bad to their very bones, in or out of their games. But most were like the BadAnon group he had only recently met… they understood the needs of the games, and their part to play. The Bad Guy was no more or less than the Hero… without one, the other is useless.

He looked up as a shadow fell across the screen, which meant… "Psst! Felix!", Ralph hissed across the front yard.

Time to go to work.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope walked into the throne room of the castle. She had only a shadowy memory of the castle at all. She knew where all the original rooms were, but so much felt out of place. Sour Bill had put Duncan in charge of getting all traces of King Candy removed, but it didn't appear to be necessary. The reset had erased all traces of Turbo completely. Her closet was filled with frilly, heavy gowns, which Vanellope frowned at, and some interesting things, like the white racing outfits. Regardless of her proclamation that she wasn't a Princess, she couldn't help but "_Ooooohhhh_" over a chest of tiaras, necklaces, and other royal jewelry that had been in her dressing room. After a life of hiding, and scavenging bits and pieces for her 'home', she was impressed, and a bit overwhelmed, at everything that was hers now.

Restored to the walls were paintings that Turbo had removed. Mostly of her in some lacey, ponderous gown. There was the pink gown, the silver one, the pale blue one… and one slim-fitting white one, which she thought; "_That would help my figure… if I had one_.", as she looked down her rather slim, child-like frame. Then she saw the other painting. She had no idea at the time, but it was the look that Ralph had seen before. She was in her white racing suit, her hair in her standard pony-tail. She was sitting in her… the Princess's car, her arm raised, with a smile, almost a smirk of supreme confidence on her face. "_I wish I felt half that confident now_.", she thought. She decided that that painting she would give to Ralph. She could always be with him that way, if no other.

She was still programmed to be the Princess, regardless of her wishes. The Princess announced the start of the race. The Princess explained the demo. The small space behind the curtain in the Royal Box was for her to change quickly to her racing outfit if the Princess was chosen as a racer. The Princess drove the Royal Race Car, which, while nice, didn't feel like 'hers'.

"Princess this… Princess that…" How could she still be 'just' Vanellope? There must be a way to be herself sometimes. She wanted her cart. Her clothes. What she knew as her life. She couldn't just throw it all away and forget the…

"_Wait_.", she thought. "_I was tired. I was mad all the time. I couldn't even race. I had to hide to stay out of the fungeon. What was so great about my life before today? Why do I even care about that_?"

"Time to get ready, your Highness.", came the drone of Sour Bill. Vanellope jumped and squealed a bit as he spoke from behind her.

"You've got to stop that!" Vanellope informed him, her hands on her hips as her heart returned to a more normal rhythm. She then followed him back to her rooms, to get ready to start the day.

One thought did stay with her, though. In a storeroom downstairs, Duncan had found the train car. Turbo had hidden it to discourage any hint of anyone getting any ideas. Not a part of the original programming, it had not reset with the game. Winchell, Duncan, and some of the racers had hooked it up to a few carts, and run it up the rainbow road to the station last night.

For the first time in her life, she could step outside her game. "_I could see Ralph_!" Was the thought that lifted her spirits for another day.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sergeant Calhoun stood in front of her platoon. She felt strangely happy this morning, so she had to really concentrate to put on her 'war face' for the troops.

She laughed with the others at the telling of Markowski's story. Apparently, he had come stumbling into the barracks in the morning wearing nothing but a pair of ornate red briefs. His tale of being attacked, stripped of his armor, and locked in a storage closet had some of the men enraged, and ready to go out for revenge on the person who dared attack one of their own. Markowski was going on about "This _HUGE_ guy, with fists the size of cybugs!" that, after a long, drawn out hand-to-hand battle, had resulted in his embarrassing state.

Tamora suspected it wasn't quite as bad as he put on, though. What she didn't need was a squad of armed Space Marines crashing through Game Central, looking for Wreck-it. Ralph was a good Joe, and she respected his courage immensely. It was one thing to hear men talk about how brave they are, but she _saw_ Ralph sacrifice himself for the girl… the only person who couldn't escape the game. His feelings for her must have been deep. You don't regenerate outside your game. She also saw this tiny girl face the entire cybug horde because Ralph was in danger. There was something there, something she herself was just now starting to believe in. Calhoun had been prepared to leave the girl, to go back to her world, because she didn't know what else to do. She had felt out of her depth. The only thought was to blow the tunnel and sacrifice the game… and that brave little girl.

So she would have none of this 'get Ralph' talk. She was beginning to think something _new_. She had a small glimmer of hope that feelings could be _real_. Ralph worked with Felix, and she would not let that game be in jeopardy.

"Markowski!" She yelled, "Come see me immediately after the arcade closes. And all liberty is secured until after 2000 formation!". She needed to stop this before it starts, or there would be a lot of 'not regenerating'. Bad, too, is that it would delay her seeing Felix. After a night of reflection… "_Reflection, get it_?" she thought, almost smiling in front of the men, remembering the night staring in the mirror, trying to remember what is real and what isn't in her mind… and her heart.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Felix had been distracted all day. Even though the his movements were completely controlled during a game by the players, there were small things he could do, usually to help the smaller, new ones.

But today, he had missed an easy jump to a shelf with a nice, fresh pie sitting on it, and instead of getting the temporary 'brick-proofing' which would help the player get another level, he caught a brick to the head. The player didn't notice this, though, and just thought they were the tiniest bit slow. Felix had to concentrate to being prompt after that, since he didn't want to be the reason for the game to be declared 'Out of Order'.

Felix had seen Ralph smiling a bit today, something he couldn't remember since… well, he couldn't remember at all. Ralph had a right to be pleased. He had watched Ralph zoom off to the mountain, through the swarm of cybugs, for Miss Vanellope. Right smart girl, that one. Ralph got himself a Princess, by golly. Now that he knew Ralph more than he ever had, even after thirty years, and his anger at being ignored and hated, he could not hold a grudge to him, even for leaving the game. Ralph had simply wanted the smallest bit of kindness and acknowledgement that he had lived his game well. Felix could see now. It was a new thing to look at the world through another mind. He had always been loved, pampered, even idolized by the Nicelanders for being the one who repaired everything and stopped Ralph every day.

In Sugar Rush, after the game had reset, Felix had really been worried for a moment. Miss Vanellope had hugged Ralph, and offered him a place in her castle. Felix now understood the mental punishment Ralph had endured for decades, and he thought for a second that Ralph, looking down at her resting in his hand, would accept. That would have been the death of _Fix-it Felix, Jr_., no doubt about it.

He was worried about himself and Miss Tamora, but he needed to make the effort to ensure Ralph gets his share of respect, too.

And thinking of Miss Tamora, which he couldn't _not_ do today, he thought about the coming day off, and what he would do. Could it work? Felix knew that he had to do his best. He had never, in his dreams, imagined a character like her. Over the years, he had hung out, gone to parties, and seen hundreds of friends, and quite a few girls, but this one was something different.

And just as soon as he figured out why, and how, he was going to do something about it.


	4. Gatherings

**Gatherings. **

"ALL CLEAR!"

The work day was over. Tomorrow was a human do-something-else day, and the arcade was closed. But tonight was different from every night previous but one. All over the arcade, characters of all games were hustling to the trains. Everyone was heading to Game Central. The previous night had heard the most amazing stories, rumors, and just plain lies bounce from end to end of the entire arcade. The real problem was that there was just enough verified truth that even the most ridiculous whoppers found willing ears.

Wreck-it Ralph had gone _Turbo_! He had broken into Hero's Duty, stolen a medal, a spaceship, and taken a very, _very_ dangerous virus into yet _another_ game. His own game was declared 'Out of Order' without him, and the other characters had emerged with their luggage, with stories of how he crashed a party, wrecked the penthouse, smashed the cake and left in a fit of anger. Others re-told the story from Markowski of how Ralph had attacked him, and stolen his uniform. Felix, Surge and Q*bert had been overheard telling Calhoun how he had snuck into Hero's Duty disguised as Markowski, and then flown the stolen pod into Sugar Rush.

The only good news had been when the escape pod had emerged from Sugar Rush, dropped off Ralph and Felix, and everyone ran to their own games. The Sergeant and Felix must have somehow gotten the madman under control. Work had kept everyone busy, but it was the next night, now. Time enough had passed for the tales to permeate to every nook of the arcade.

People were scared. Was _their_ game safe? There were a couple of games that had locked their trains in, to protect themselves tonight. Others went to hang out with the Street Fighter crowd, sure that they could stop Ralph.

Where were the Space Marines? What was Ralph going to do? And what about the mysterious Sugar Rush? The three games everyone wanted to know about were the only ones who had not disgorged anyone into the growing mass of people. The noise was deafening. Nobody was drinking, since Tapper himself was standing at the entrance to his game. There were a couple of others near him. Tapper… the philosopher, part-time bartender, and the one who sees and hears everything, seemed to be the calmest one there. Maybe a bit contagious, he seemed to spread a circle of stillness to include those around him.

One of those was Zangief. As a Bad Guy himself, he knew the anger you could feel sometimes. But he had found his inner self, found grudging acceptance from other characters, and he also felt he knew Ralph better than most. He looked over at Tapper. Tapper scratched his mustache, and said in his gravelly voice, to no one in particular; "If nothing else, I'd like to know why nobody has gone in or come out the Sugar Rush terminal going on 15 years.". Zangief raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't see how it fit into the picture.

"This wrong. Very wrong. Ralph does not _want_ to be bad. Something else here." That was the best Zangief could do with his thought that Ralph was not as wretched as the evidence was going. The Sorceress, standing on his other side, nodded in agreement. Bad Guys were getting some nastier than usual looks tonight.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kohut was the first squad leader. When the Sergeant went into Sugar Rush, he was in charge of the troops. The first thing he did was have Smythe rig a camera and comm unit into the gate at the terminal. From a station in the living zone, they now saw what was going on. Kohut was making sure _nobody_ snuck up on them again. Calhoun looked over Kohut's shoulder at the screen. She wasn't particularly angry at anyone in particular, but she felt, at that moment, that she would walk across that terminal over a sea of bodies with a Gatling gun if they were going to keep her away from Felix. She _had_ to know.

"There's going to be a lynch mob happening if we don't get that under control.", she told the men standing around her. "Stand by for my word." She went into her small office at the end of the building, flipped a small switch at her desk, and called Markowski in.

"Look soldier, you've got one chance to tell me what really happened." Tamora leaned forward on her elbows, her fingers intertwined, with a predatory look in her eyes. It was a look the men knew well, the one moments before charging into a swarm of bugs.

Markowski cleared his throat. And again. His eyes darting around, he would look anywhere except straight at her face. "Well.", he started, "I may have gone just a bit too far with it. I just didn't want the guys to… I'm pretty sure that I just…". Over the next few minutes, every detail was narrowed down to the simple fact that the trooper, while drunk, knocked himself out.

"So" the Sergeant stared at the totally embarrassed man, "You have single-handedly made everyone believe that we now have a mad, dangerous game-jumper on our hands. What it seems to be is a whole lot of single accidents, and now we are the only ones equipped to deal with it, partly because of you." Markowski shivered as she actually _smiled_. "I'm going to spend the next few days trying to come up with worst possible punishment for this, so don't run off."

Then she looked up at the ceiling, and called out. "Kohut!" There was a crackle as someone found a switch. "Here.", came a soft reply from the wall speaker. Markowski started, and the Sergeant looked at him. "Yes, I wanted to make sure that if my platoon was angry, then they were angry for the right reason." She faced the wall. "Kohut, grab a number three comm unit and meet me at the station. Forrest, Hundall… grab a couple of launchers and be at the train in five… make that _three_ minutes. Full armor." She stood and walked quickly from the room. She checked her sidearm as she hurried to the station. "We'll _still_ need a miracle to stop this."

The train was there, its doors open. Calhoun was giving instructions to Kohut. On her belt was the most powerful hand-held radio they had. Kohut was carrying a number three. It was an advanced radio that could cut through bunkers, steel buildings, and even between spaceships. Getting a signal between two game consoles shouldn't be a problem. She was giving him some strange orders, but the most important was that he keep Felix and Ralph from leaving until she had satisfied the people outside. Kohut frowned. "And how am I supposed to get to that game through this mob?" He was sure to be swamped with questions, or even set off the crowd if he went to Fix-it Felix Jr.

Tamora smiled. She held out a small box. This was a special award for the player who reached level 13. It would guarantee a couple of minutes of almost total invisibility. In the game, it was the only way to complete level 13, and climb closer to the medal. "It's good for a few minutes at best. And, it's a one-shot deal, so when it goes, it's junk after that. You get a few minutes head start, then we're going to get everyone's attention. Just remember… no one leaves that game without my signal."

Kohut suspected her sanity sometimes, and he wondered why the concern was so great for that old game. But deep inside, he was programmed to obey without question. He stepped into the car, the door hissed shut, and the train sped down the tunnel.

Hundall and Forrest puffed up behind her. She had picked them because they were the tallest in the group. They were also carrying 60 millimeter grenade launchers, which ought to impress the civilians. She didn't want to use outright fear on the poor people, who just didn't know what's what, but a little intimidation might do the job nicely. "Okay" She filled them in. "Make sure those are not loaded. Get me? _NOT_ loaded. I don't want any accidents. When we get down there you do nothing, and you say nothing. You just stand behind me, at port arms, and keep your sun visors down."

Then it was just waiting for the train to return. They checked everything once again, then just a minute later, boarded the returned train as soon as the doors opened. There was total silence during the short trip to the Game Central terminal. Leaving the train, she made one last check, looked at the men, and set off down the hall, saying "It's show time."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope was back in her regular green outfit after work. She was skipping down the long hallway to the throne room, her arms loaded with some paper, a ribbon, and a few bags of goodies. She had changed one thing, though… her dresser had a long row of exotic, fragrant perfumes. She had stared at it, and run her finger up the row, thinking. "Cotton candy… coconut… _chocolate_!" She picked up the bottle and sprinkled it quite liberally on her neck, her shoulders, her legs, her arms. Rubbing some into her face like cream, she thought it would work, thinking of Ralph laughing at the chocolate after the mountain. The entire room smelled of the finest chocolate as she walked out.

Meanwhile, Winchell was rushing down the rainbow road to the castle, his motorcycle taking curves quite badly.

Duncan and Winchell had had several talks. They were the Royal Police. They were the ones solely responsible for the safety of the Princess… and they had failed completely, utterly. Not only had they failed to protect her, they had chased, harassed, threatened… well, the list of what they had done to her went on quite a while. They knew they weren't doing it knowingly, but that didn't help much. And the other thing… after the years of being ordered about, and told to do a lot of nasty things over all that time, now they had a Princess who asked them for advice, with things they were not accustomed to; someone saying "_Please_", and "_Thank you_", and "_What would you think is right_?".

Nothing would harm her ever again on their watch. So when Vanellope starting getting ready for her first outing ever, they decided to check things out. Winchell rode up to the tunnel, and rode the train to Game Central. As the sleek, quiet car glided into the terminal, he stopped… and listened… and frowned. Sneaking up to the exit, but not looking around the corner, he heard the noise of hundreds of voices. "_Sure is busy_." he thought as he listened for anything informative.

Then he caught bits of conversation; raised voices in the general murmur… "Who's going to control Ralph?"… "What happened to that game?"… I don't want him coming near _MY_ game!". It sounded like they were angry about the big guy. The very same big guy that his Princess… or President… was about to visit. He couldn't let her walk out into a mob like that! After a few minutes of information gathering he slinked back to the train, he worried that they might have to lock even _her_ up for her own good. That won't go over well.

Now, something needs to be explained. The racers of Sugar Rush had problems. A racer of Sugar Rush was programmed to be confident, arrogant, and sure in their belief that they were just a bit better than every other racer. It is that programming that made the game fun and exciting for the humans. Under the rule of King Candy, he had fed those feelings to help him in his campaign against the _glitch_. With his full permission and assistance, Taffyta had attracted Rancis and Candlehead to her, to form the Terrible Trio, whose main mission was to make sure that the _glitch_ never got near a Random Roster Race. They had been very effective in that task. Now all they had known was a lie.

So new emotions, especially ones like guilt… and sorrow… didn't come easily. As the ones who had done the most harm, Taffyta and her friends held a meeting of all the racers. She explained that _SHE_, most of all, and her closest friends, needed to be the first to try and fix things up. She did something she had never done in her life, and _begged_ to be the first to go. After a lot of whispering, and a few arguments, it was agreed that they would get the chance.

So Taffyta, Rancis, and Candlehead were approaching the palace doors when Winchell, covered in sugary road dust, screeched to a halt, dropped his motorcycle, and ran for the door. They followed him inside. And Winchell stopped so fast that Candlehead _oofed_ against his back. Vanellope was kneeling on the floor. She was tying a pink bow on a ribbon that wrapped around a square, flat parcel in mint green paper. She looked up and smiled. "Just a little something for my main man." She explained.

Winchell froze. Her eyes had none of the cunning, the deceit, and often, the malice he was so accustomed to. Bad news used to mean yelling and punishment for somebody. But her large, trusting eyes… made him wish he was anywhere else. He stood straight, took a deep breath, and…

"Princess…" he walked over, and held out a hand. "Please get off the floor. There's a problem in Game Central. I don't think you should go." Duncan was walking in from the other hall, and hurried his pace at this news.

That got her attention. "What? But wh…" Her eyes narrowed as her mind sorted this out. "_What's happened out there? Who could cause such a fuss? Surely not Ral_…" It dawned on her that that had to be exactly what it was. She sighed. Only _her_ Ralph could cause so much trouble. Hadn't people from two different games come here looking for him? "_And why do I call him MY Ralph all the time in my head?_"

Winchell pushed on, every eye and ear on him now. "There's a mob in Game Central. They are all carrying on about Ralph game-jumping. He's accused of everything, and I mean _everything_. They're talking about locking him in his own game and destroying the train. He may never leave his game again."

Vanellope gasped. She almost went down on her knees, and would have if Winchell wasn't still holding her hand. Duncan and Taffyta both helped her stand straight. Duncan chipped in; "Maybe we should secure the station until this is over."

"NO!" Vanellope shook off the supporting hands. She sort-of calmly walked a few feet away. She grabbed her chin with one hand, walking around in a very small circle. "Just wait a minute." She paced and thought… "_They think Ralph's a Bad Guy. Well, he is, but he's_… " she stopped.

She spun and faced the group so fast they jumped. "He's a hero!" She started to form her plan.

"I know he's a hero. But we have to make sure they know it. All I know is that somebody, somebody really important…" she looked up and smiled, "Somebody nice… has to tell them. And tell them so they'll believe it, forever." She looked at Duncan and Winchell, who were starting to follow her, but didn't like where she was leading. "Do you guys have any dressy frosting?" They looked at each other, Duncan shrugged, and they stared back. She reached out a hand. "Taffyta, Candlehead… I need your help. Help me save Ralph?". "Yes!", they said at the same time. They followed Vanellope as she rushed to her dressing room. She looked over her shoulder and pointed; "And don't forget that package!". She almost tripped over Sour Bill, coming up from the kitchen. She knelt down, and to his dismay, gave him a hug. "Great mother of monkey milk! I'm glad you showed up. It wouldn't be _proper_ without you!" She rushed on, in the biggest hurry she had ever been in… "Look, go with Duncan, and this is a Full Princess Mode emergency! We're going to save Ralph!" Sour Bill hadn't had time for a single syllable as he watched the girls disappear down the hallway.

Minutes longer than she wanted, they were heading towards the station. Duncan and Winchell led on the bikes, Candlehead, accompanied by Sour Bill, who had a look nobody had ever seen before except Ralph… fear. Hanging onto the door of the cart, he closed his eyes and awaited his doom. Then Taffyta, leaning over because of the flat green package sharing her driver's seat. But the most spectacular sight was Rancis, driving behind everyone. Having picked his car because it had the flattest trunk area, Vanellope was leaning over the rear of the car, facing backwards. Her puffy gown, a deep emerald green, billowed out behind the car like a reverse parachute. "_I sure didn't want anybody driving behind me_", she thought. "_Cause it sure feels drafty_. _What I do for you, Ralph_."

Sliding off the car at the station, she endured Candlehead straightening her tiara, her collar and seams, while Taffyta brushed off any dust that clung to her. They got in the train, and as it started out, she began telling everyone what she needed them to do.

A few minutes later, they were leaving the train and walking to the exit. She looked down, checking her appearance, and hoping she could play the part. "_But you were born a Princess_.", she thought "_You can do this… you have to do this. It's the only way to be happy forever_."

She could see the brightly lit entrance to Game Central, and the brightly colored, close-packed groups of people milling around. "Places!" She said, and pointing her wand like a sword, led her little procession into battle.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

At the all clear, Ralph didn't have much to do to get ready. He had seen Felix across the way, talking with one or the other of the Nicelanders during breaks. He didn't know what he was saying, but there was some arguing, and the angriest gestures Felix could think of during a particularly heated 'discussion' with Gene.

If he could understand it all, he would have known it was just the programming. A new game, one like Hero's Duty, had enormous resources. The latest processor, graphics chips, and huge amounts of memory let humans make a game in which every character had decisions to make, they could move around on their own… in other words, they had a _choice_. But thirty years ago it was different. Parts for games were expensive. The humans who programmed the games often put no more in than was necessary to fulfill the requirements to play.

The Nicelanders were the result of such thinking. For thirty years, they had never gone visiting other games, or had more than a general knowledge of what happened elsewhere. They were happy in their own world. Their thoughts were simple, and rarely went at all beyond the basic; "Respect Felix, fear Ralph, and be content when our home is fixed". Only the absolute specter of true, permanent death drove them into the hall of Game Central at all. Ralph and Felix, being the Good Guy and Bad Guy of the game, had a more complex mind, but even that had a point where new things took time to absorb. Ralph mainly felt the rage of being moved to the dump, and Felix had been guilty of too much pride of doing a job well done. A pride, he found out, that had no place outside his own little world.

Now Felix was trying to explain that Ralph wasn't trying to destroy his game. He tried to tell Mary about Ralph saving Vanellope… He told Gene about Turbo still alive and controlling another game… He told Don about his 'dynamite gal'…, but in the end, not much sank in at all. They wanted to be assured that Ralph wouldn't do that again. They wanted Felix to spend the rest of _his_ _life_ watching Ralph.

That was why Ralph and Felix were completely unaware of the happenings outside when Ralph walked over to the front door of the apartments. Felix was starting up the stairs, to get cleaned up for a visit outside. His mind wasn't working too well tonight.

"Felix!" Ralph called, and waved at him as the handyman stopped on the bottom step. "I was… um… gee, this is embarrassing… will…" He stopped and looked down. "Do you have an extra toothbrush? And maybe some… soap?" Just because he was programmed to be a smelly mean wrecker didn't mean he had to stay that way all the time. He thought Vanellope, and maybe others, might appreciate a little less… _Ralph_ smell.

Felix cheered up a bit at that. "Aha! You're going to see Miss Vanellope, I would bet." Now that they had more in common now, it was easier to talk to Ralph. "I'm just going to wash my face. I'll get you some stuff." He looked at the building. "Ralph, I don't think you can get into my apartment, and maybe you should stay out of the penthouse for a while. You'll have to use the station washroom."

Ralph understood. The tiny (to him) doors and low ceilings made it impossible to navigate the regular apartments without… well… _wrecking_ them. And even thought that's how they spent their days, he figured correctly that they would frown on a ceiling falling on them during their off time.

Ralph just sort of hung around, swinging his arms back and forth, and thought, until Felix came back down. He handed a bag to him. "I think this'll get you started, big guy, and we'll go by where you can stock up."

As they sauntered over to the train, with Ralph taking very small steps, so Felix could stay with him. Even that was new, the fact that he was walking _with_ someone. He stopped. Felix looked around at him, and Ralph couldn't help but try and apologize.

"Look, Felix, I'm not real good at this, but I know I almost caused the game to be unplugged, maybe even two games… maybe even more. But I thought that a medal would get me some respect. I thought that for once, people wouldn't jump out of my way, or close doors when I walk by, or…" His voice sort of died out. He looked down at his clenched fists. "_Why does the anger come back so fast_?" He thought. "_I'm mad at the world again. The first and only time I was happy about anything was with…_" Felix looked up, slightly concerned, because Ralph had totally frozen in place. His eyes had a faraway look, like he was staring at something a world away.

Felix smiled. Ralph was getting the idea. He cleared his throat with a loud "_AHEM_!" Ralph snapped his head up. "Sorry, Felix. Let's get going." Ralph muttered as he turned towards the train. It wasn't there, so he pushed the button to call it back from the terminal.

Felix looked up at his new friend and said "Looks like you found your own dynamite gal. I sure hope you have it easier that I do.", with just a tiny touch of worry.

Ralph started. "_NO_! No no no! It's not like that at all. For crying out loud, Felix, she's just a kid! I don't think about her like…", he furrowed his brow and closed his eyes to thin slits as he leveled the full power of his stare at Felix "That!"

Felix laughed, and stopped when he saw Ralph start to raise a fist. Ralph's face was red, and he had that look he got just before smashing the penthouse to rubble. Better fix it fast…

"Ralph! Wait! I'm not laughing at _you_! You don't get it, do you? _I'm _the guilty one. Miss Tamora is less than TWO WEEKS OLD!" Ralph stopped dead still, his face started to drain a bit.

"We're never going to change, Ralph. Think about it. Don't you dare mistreat Miss Vanellope because… because you know how the humans change, and get older and bigger. We won't, Ralph, we _CAN'T_, and she will never be the least bit different than she is right this second!" Felix looked around, wondering what he could say to make his point. "Ralph, you know how Mario is dating the blond from DDR? And Princess Peach is dating one of the knights from Joust. We're not the humans, Ralph. Most of us don't even _LOOK_ like humans. But we're all made of the same things. Even dating, and ma… marr… uh, marriage are really just copying what we learn from the humans."

Felix put a hand on Ralph's arm, now hanging limp at his side. "Ralph, have you ever seen _any_ game like that?"

Ralph slowly turned to the train, coming to a stop at the stand. "You've made me think, Felix. You know I'm not very good at it." They walked over to the train.

Suddenly, the air flickered in front of them. There was a spark, and a fully armed Space Marine stood in front of them. Ralph stepped back and prepared to smash the intruder. Felix waved his arms as wide as he could. "_NO Ralph_! I know him!"

"You're… Kohut?" Felix asked, his head tilted to one side. Many small things had been lost after the world-changing battle of Sugar Rush.

"Yes sir." He said. "And right now you can't leave the game for any reason until Calhoun says so."


	5. Meetings

**Meetings.**

Kohut's remark had an instantaneous effect on Ralph and Felix, and it wasn't a good one. Ralph pulled back a massive fist, and Felix drew his hammer, forgetting for a moment that it would do more… _good_ than _harm_.

"Look here, you…" Ralph exploded as he swung his fist up to drive the man into the ground like a stake. Felix was filled with an anger he wasn't used to. He froze for a moment, since the happy-go-lucky repairman wasn't accustomed to thinking about harming anyone.

Kohut felt fear as he never had before. He wasn't in his own game, and this was serious. By reflex, he stepped backwards, catching the side of the train. He fell backwards into the middle of the three wooden cars. He lay there, his legs on the platform, and waved his arms madly. "_WAIT!_", he yelled, "Hold on! There's a plan! She's coming _HERE_!"

"_SHE?_" Felix and Ralph said in unison. They froze.

"_I know it isn't her_." Thought Ralph "_She doesn't need me anymore. She has everything she ever wanted. Why should I be mad about that?_"

Kohut got up and straightened his gear out as he saw the two relax some. Then followed a rapid-fire update on what was happening. He told them of the mob, of the fear, and that there were characters from all over the arcade ready to; "shut this place down _forever_.". He skipped the part about Markowski, since he really didn't want the mountain of a man to have a reason to be mad at another Marine.

During this was the expected "_ooohh_"s, and "_huh?_", and " _but…_" from the two. Felix suddenly understood how it must have looked from outside. He himself had thought Ralph guilty. The story of Turbo as they knew it is pretty tame stuff next to 'mad game-destroying Ralph'. But Ralph as the Bad… more the _Evil_ Guy was wrong. Felix tilted his head a bit, as he did while thinking heavy thoughts.

Ralph was completely overwhelmed. It wasn't like it had happened at all. But, yes, that's how it looked. He did fly the escape pod across games. There was a cybug with him, and that one egg he tripped over almost destroyed Sugar Rush, and might have cut loose across the whole arcade. The people of every game here wanted to make sure another Turbo never happened again. _HE_ didn't either. But his selfish, clumsy, stupid, unfeeling… his vocabulary started running low of words to describe himself properly with.

Ralph accepted the accusations. His thoughts were as low as the look on his face. "_I'm guilty. I did everything they say I did._" Then, he had another of those un-selfish thoughts he was not used to having, when he looked down at Felix beside him. "_If we get locked in, he'll never see his girlfriend again. I screwed up my life and his at the same time_."

He spoke into the silence, startling Felix and Kohut a bit. "Look, I promise, I _swear_ that I will do anything I have to. But if I just leave the game, it'll get unplugged. If we get jailed, Felix never sees his girl again. But if I just promise to never leave here again, nobody will believe me." He didn't have any more options here. Leave or stay pretty much covered it. He thought of Vanellope and her offer to live at her castle. It had felt tempting. But his newly-discovered sense of duty to Felix, and even the angry Nicelanders stopped him from just leaving for good.

Kohut didn't have a ready answer. "Look", he said. "All I know is that the Sergeant has _something _planned. I have no idea what it is, but she sent me here to make sure you didn't just wander out into that mess. She's the smartest of us all, and I have never… _never_ seen her fail in her duty."

He pointed to the control unit to the comm backpack he had on. "As soon as I saw you were still here, I sent a signal. Just a few beeps to let her know I got here. She's doing _something_ now. When she's ready, we'll get told what to do. So I think maybe we should just sit down, have a beer, and wait."

Ralph, and Felix too, fumed at this, but really, it didn't sound like they had much of a choice.

As a note, all of the equipment in Hero's Duty is pretty heavy stuff. Those Space Marines were programmed to fight all over… in space, on hostile planets… extreme heat and cold... Their equipment, body armor, and even their weapons were made of the strongest alloys and compounds science could provide. So it was a bit ironic that during Kohut's fall, a small piece of plain iron from the rickety thirty-year-old train car had broken off and lodged into the one small cooling vent on the underside of the comm unit, where it had partly cut through the one weak connection in the area… the receiving antenna.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sergeant Tamora Calhoun walked to the exit of Hero's Duty. She heard the 'thunk… thunk… thunk…' of her heavily armed escort two steps behind her. As the people in front of the entrance saw her, there was nudging, grabbing arms, and pointing as they tried to tell their neighbors. The characters of the arcade knew who she was, since any new game is food for gossip, and her men had frequented the station, especially Tapper's, quite a bit.

So they were recognized as she halted a couple of steps outside the gateway. The clatter of the two stopping behind her as she did her best "tough talk" pose; feet shoulder-width apart, with hands on her hips. With their sun visors down, the two looked more like robot sentinels than men. Calhoun was hoping that it would hold their attention long enough for her to speak. It had the desired effect. There was an expanding ripple of quiet as the people took notice, many of them moving closer.

"_Well? What now_?" she thought. Even though she could plan for any battle, down to the tiniest detail, she was definitely not in her world now. Her barely-prepared speech evaporated when faced with hundreds of characters, even non-player characters, filled with fear and apprehension of Wreck-it Ralph. She took a deep breath, and wondered if maybe she shouldn't have let the troops bring loaded weapons. All she could think of is that if Ralph went down, Felix did too.

"_LISTEN UP, PEOPLE_!" The roar was getting softer, but there was still a lot of talking going on. "I know that you are all upset by what happened the other day! I agree! It was bad! And Dangerous! But the whole thing was an accident! That's the truth, and I, _personally_, was there!"

"Then what did happen?" This came from a tall woman in the front. She was wearing a long, blue Chinese dress, her hair done up into two buns on the sides of her head. She looked strong. "We saw the ship!" Someone else broke in. Calhoun raised her arms before it got out of hand again.

"YES!" she yelled, "It was Ralph. But he didn't mean to take it! He _fell _in it, for crying out loud!"

"But why?" This question came from a short blue creature with hair in huge spikes sticking out.

"Good question, short stuff." She was glad to get to a normal conversation. She dropped down to one knee to be more on eye level with… _him_? "I had a talk with this guy. He wanted a medal. That's all. He wanted a bit of respect because he never had any. That's a feeling I can get behind."

She stood back up; "I know this guy… I _fought _beside this Ralph. I saw him do very brave things. He's…"

A medium-height man, clad in green overalls, with a large green hat marked with an 'L' shook his fist at her. His long black mustache wobbled as he spoke. "Oh, so he-a wanted a medal, say! What if he want-a my _gold_? What I do then?" Others were nodding and getting agitated again. Princess Peach looked scared, and lifted her hand to make sure he crown was still in place, as if Ralph already had plans on it. A knight off to one side, standing beside an angry-looking small dragon raised his lance and shouted "I think we need to make sure he never threatens us again! We've put up with him forever! Maybe it's time to quit being scared of him!"

The roar built up quickly. Already, people were moving towards the entrance to Fix-it Felix, Jr. Calhoun shouted, but no one was listening, or could even hear her if they tried, as the mob went from zero to enraged in just a few seconds.

She needed to warn them to batten down the hatches. They were safe as long as they kept the train at the console station. She took a couple of steps back in the tunnel to cut out some of the noise. Keying her comm, she shouted instructions to Kohut; "_KOHUT! LISTEN! IT'S ALL GONE PEAR-SHAPED HERE! DON'T GO TO THE TERMINAL! DON'T LET THE TRAIN LEAVE! DON'T COME OUT HERE!_"

"_That went well, didn't it, girl_?" She thought, as she watched the mob begin to gather closer, as she noticed all the big fighters and armed characters moving to the front of the slowly moving mass. She saw her chance of seeing Felix again slip away slowly. She was good at _destruction_, but that skill was useless here. "_Not so good at politics, huh? I wonder if Felix can fix this_?"

She would have agreed with Zangief, still standing beside Tapper down the hall… "This not look good for them, I think".

Then her comm unit buzzed with the last… the absolute _ONE_ sound she could not imagine it ever making…

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kohut's radio was on auto. The message was garbled, static overriding the voice channel. Kohut shook his arm, with the microphone and speaker panel, before he muttered to himself and reached behind his back to whack the side of the unit. He caught the idea of the message, at least. The system recorded it for playback.

Kohut keyed the replay. "Sssssss… HUT.. zzzzz. GONE… bzzzt… terminal…. sssssshhhsssss… hsssss… COME OUT …". He couldn't catch anything else. He had his orders now.

He stood up from where he was sitting on the platform edge. Ralph and Felix were both on the other side, lost in thought and waiting for some magical answer to their problem.

"Hey! Let's go!" Felix jumped to his feet with his usual bounce, while Ralph rolled himself to stand. "Calhoun called us in! We get to the station, now!" Kohut relayed this as he jumped into the first car. Felix, the only one of the three who could sit comfortably in the small cars, got in the middle, while Ralph took his half-folded position in the last one.

As Kohut was stepping over into the car, he sent the _'Returning to station' _acknowledgement code they had agreed on. As he sat down on the small wooden bench, the pressure drove the small piece of iron… remember the small piece of iron?... fully into the vent, completely severing the antenna lead.

There was the short pull as the train started its soft clattering run to Game Central.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Calhoun was shouting herself hoarse trying to get Kohut back on the comm. She stood there, comm in hand, feeling, for the second time in her life, a total failure. "_But the first time wasn't real_." She remembered. "_This one was. What is it about me and men_?"

Her comm buzzed yet again, this time the monitor channel. Absentmindedly, not really paying attention, she wearily raised the unit. "Sergeant!" From Smythe; "There's activity from the Sugar Rush exit!" Smythe hit the zoom button. "Looks like… it's a girl!"

Calhoun whirled around. Sugar Rush was just across the way. _There she is!_ Dressed in all her finest, the Princess Vanellope had come to call. And not one… single… person… was paying attention. The mob would be at Fit-it Felix Jr. in just a few more seconds. What could she possibly do? As she looked across the empty section of Game Central at the girl, their eyes met… her own tired, disheveled self, and the wide, scared eyes of the young girl.

_Time to roll the dice_. One thing that made her a good Sergeant is that she always had a plan B, usually a plan C, and on occasion, a plan D.

"Well, this time we're going straight to F." She muttered. She turned around. "_Your launcher_!" She yelled to Forrest. He passed the heavy single-shot weapon over with a _flip_. Calhoun reached into her gear pouch and pulled out a single, low-load, short-range 60 millimeter concussion grenade. Flipping it into the breech, closing it, and slinging it straight up happened in one smooth, instant motion. She pulled the trigger and the _cough_ of the weapon went unheard in the general noise.

Then the round went off on the ceiling. Designed more for noise and shock than damage, it was loud, flashy, and in this case, attention-getting. At the shock that slightly shook the whole terminal, the crowd skidded to a halt, milling around, bewildered. Then they were looking her way. It was some sight… the tall, armor-clad woman standing there, a light rain of ceiling ships falling on and around her. She dropped the launcher, its barrel clattering in the now almost complete silence.

She reached up and keyed her suit comm to full volume. "We have a very important visitor!" She looked over at Vanellope, who looked even more frightened than anyone else. "I think you should listen to what she has to say!" Calhoun raised her arm and pointed to Vanellope. "Sorry, kid. I tried, but it's all up to you now." She keyed off her mike.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Her heart in her throat, and trying hard not to vurp all over her gown, Vanellope stepped into the light of the terminal. Yelling, the explosion, the mess… she felt dizzy, like there simply wasn't enough _air_ at all. "_Ralph… think of Ralph_…" was going through her head, getting her to force her shaking legs to carry her into the storm.

At least it was quieter now. The wave of shock and surprise was giving way to dozens of questions bouncing back and forth; "_Sugar Rush_?" "But they've never…" "…haven't seen in…" "_Who is that_?"

She didn't feel very impressive right now. Sour Bill was just off to her left. Duncan and Winchell right behind her, since she felt a small squeeze of Duncan's hand on her shoulder for a second, reminding her they would stand by her, no matter what. She didn't see them, but the other racers were behind the two Policemen, Taffyta and the others daring to peer from behind Duncan just a bit.

It wouldn't have helped her worries to see Sour Bill's face right now, since his mouth was open, his eyes huge, as he saw for the first time the range of people, animals, and… other things, that made up the general population of the arcade. He was totally unable to function.

Vanellope reached over with her emerald lollipop scepter and lightly tapped him on the… sort of… shoulder. "_Ahem! _ Psst!" she tried to give him his cue in a low whisper. He finally got the point.

Was his usually depressed, dull monotone shaking a bit? "All hail… the rightful ruler… of Sugar Rush… Princess Vanellope." He then took a quick step back to almost hide behind the base of her gown.

She now had quiet, and their attention, despite the hundreds of whispers floating around. All she needed was a plan. A quick glance at the dust-covered Calhoun standing across the open hall didn't help at all.

"H… Hello. This is my first time here. Please forgive me, and I need your _help_." Looks were exchanged all around. Whispers grew louder. Vanellope raised her hands. "_Please_! We _wanted_ to come here. But we _couldn't_!" Quiet again… that was a good sign. "My people… everyone, and me… um… I… have been _held prisoner_ in our game all this time." You could have dropped a hair in the terminal now and heard it hit the floor.

"_Now or never, girl_." She had them. "_BY TURBO_!"

She knew Turbo had been evil, but she had no idea of the legend that had grown in the arcade for decades. The effect on the crowd could not have been greater if Calhoun had set off a land mine under them. Not a single word could be understood. Some people ran away, and others stared at the entrance to Sugar Rush, as if they expected Turbo to jump out at them that second. Others looked around and placed themselves nearest the strongest characters they could find.

Calhoun was a bit surprised at the reaction, also. Felix had told her the Turbo story, but that part hadn't really taken hold. Then she thought; To a video game character, he would have been the boogeyman, the devil, and death rolled into one. Raising her arm and giving the 'follow me' gesture to the troops behind her, she slowly walked over to the cluster surrounding the Sugar Rush gate, the formation momentarily upset as Forrest deviated to pick up his dusty launcher. She tapped a few shoulders in the general hubbub, waved a few people aside, and soon cleared a path to the front of the circle surrounding diminutive Princess.

Giving Forrest and Hundall the 'halt' sign, she slowly sank to one knee, her hands resting on her upright knee. She smiled at the courage that it must have taken for this one girl, who had never been out of her own little world before, to face down an angry mob. But then again, she had seen Vanellope charge cybugs without flinching. Love must be a funny thing.

"_I don't know the script, here_." She thought as she said; "Well, your Highness, what can we do for you today?"

Calhoun could actually see Vanellope relax and regroup a bit. The shoulders straightened slightly, the furrow in her forehead smoothed out, and her eyes lost a bit… just a little… of the 'trapped animal' look. Vanellope cleared her throat.

"People!" Vanellope looked upwards and around, trying to look into the faces of everyone, the majority of who were much taller than her. "I finally got to come here today, after fifteen years, because I can tell you Turbo is _GONE_! _Forever_!"

Another bomb. It took a while for this to subside. Calhoun stood up and waved her arms around, while Vanellope held hers up, trying to continue. At last, Calhoun's "AT EASE!" finally got some attention.

"Please, please!", Vanellope was finally getting to what she thought of as 'the good part'. As faces turned back to her again, she took a deep breath, and plunged…

"I have come here today, after all of this, to thank the one person who saved me." _She was laying it on a little thick, but the details were boring, anyway_. "There is one man here. This man fought the bugs. He destroyed _Turbo_. This man saved my entire kingdom, and made us free again. I am here to thank him, and reward him any way I can."

She was amazed at this point by the confused looks. This can't be real. "_These are the slowest people in the world._" She thought. She didn't know it, but not all the confused looks were from the rest of the arcade. Duncan, Winchell, and the racers were all as confounded as the others, since they had had few details since the days before. Taffyta, her mouth wide open, finally understood why Vanellope was so concerned about the Ralph guy.

"I am here to see the hero of Sugar Rush! I ask… no. We _demand_ that you bring me _Wreck-it Ralph_!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kohut, Felix, and Ralph were getting out of the train. Kohut was glad that the noise had died down. The Sergeant really did have it under control. Waving the other two to a stop, he started to walk towards the exit to scope things out.

At that moment, there was a huge explosion of sound. It was the sound of hundreds of voices shouting out in surprise, shock, anger, laughter, confusion… all at the same moment. Kohut skidded to a stop, and threw his arms out to the sides, since he heard the other two coming up. He slapped the button on the comm control. Nothing incoming. "I don't get it." He said to the others. "These things are _bulletproof_. This is busted."

"_Busted_?" Felix reached for his hammer. "Well, my lands, why didn't you say so?" He tapped the pack, there was the familiar sound, and suddenly the 'receive' light came on. Kohut slapped the mike.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope had been holding her hands over her ears, shocked at the sound. She lowered her shaking hands to her side. There was something in front of her face. Sour Bill was trying to hand her the scepter she had dropped. "Appearances… your Highness." He droned, but in a softer, less harsh tone than usual. She took it, and looked at the faces all turned to her, still unsure what to believe with all of the information their brains were trying to understand at one time.

The Princess shell she had been wearing like a suit or armor was starting to crack. Vanellope was trying to escape. "_How dare these people keep Ralph from me!_"

Beside her, Calhoun's radio beeped. She was a bit startled to finally hear something from Kohut's channel again. She could feel Vanellope's eyes, and most of the arcade watching her as she exchanged quick instructions in military shorthand. She sighed, and relaxed a little, before turning and looking downwards at Vanellope.

"Your Highness. I and my men…" She snapped her fingers, and the confused Hundall and Forrest thumped to rigid attention behind her. "…would be honored to escort you to Wreck-it Ralph… and Felix."

Vanellope caught the edge of the concern in the taller woman's voice. "_She's scared, too. She's gonna lose Felix if I mess this up_."

She waved her scepter like a magic wand. "Very well, Sergeant." _Princess_ was back in charge. "Your men may assist my guards, and you may walk with me. Take us to my Ralph." "_There's that _my_ Ralph thing again. I'm gonna tell him that if I can._"

Calhoun smiled at Vanellope. "_Good show, you_." , She thought, as she told her troops to flank the guards. They had never seen any stranger… soldiers… in their life. They still weren't used to the variety of life forms in this place.

So… Vanellope, walking with Calhoun beside her, Sour Bill on the other side, and followed by Duncan and Winchell, whose frosting was starting to crack from the stress. The racers; holding up better than expected, except for the peeks back at the two massive Space Marines tailing the group.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kohut lowered his arm after turning off the transmitter. "Okay… right now, we walk slowly out the exit. No sudden moves, anyone." He looked around at Ralph and Felix. "Which one of you knows a Princess?"

Both of the Fix-it Felix Jr. characters registered surprise, but Ralph's mind jumped with concern and worry, for the little girl he had left standing at the racetrack. He swirled so fast he almost fell over, starting for the exit. Kohut was a little slow, but Felix _jumped_ in front of him, not very sure how he could stop Ralph once he got going. "Wait, friend. _Slowly_. They're okay." He looked at Kohut for help. "Yes, sir." Kohut volunteered, "Sergeant Calhoun and troops are with her. And some other… people."

Ralph took a few breaths, calmed down a bit, and the three of them lined up, Ralph in the middle. The exit got closer. They could see, forming a circle around the gateway, a huge gathering. But everyone seemed to be standing around calmly. "_No rioting is a good thing, right_?" Ralph wondered as they entered into the main terminal.

Kohut waved them to the right, and…

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph stopped. Six feet in front of him was a vision. He must have taken one hit to the brain too many. His mouth worked totally on its own, dropping, trying to talk, and closing like a fish with no water.

Vanellope was _beautiful_. Her gown was a deep emerald green. Sewn through it were thick, real gold threads. On top of her head, hair drawn up, was a gold tiara, set with emeralds. The look was one thing, but the lights of Game Central, mostly harsh and bright, was _absorbed_ by Vanellope. She seemed almost to glow with reflected gold sparkles. A veil of magic seemed to surround her, reminding Ralph of when he had pushed her cart across the finish line. With hardly any recognition of Calhoun, the cops, even the massive troopers, he was seeing only one thing… those eyes. The dancing golden specks reflecting in those large eyes held him still, calm, speechless… thoughtless even. And everything smelled like _chocolate_. He loved chocolate.

He barely was able to listen when Vanellope began to move. He knew she was here to try and keep him out of trouble. Something for once he couldn't fix by wrecking something. He had to trust her, since his plans never worked out so good.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope wanted to run to him, to hug him, to reach out to the sad, _beaten _man in front of her. "_I'm here now_", she tried to send the thought physically across the space between them, "_I'm here and I'll fix it, and you'll be mine, and… one step at a time, there_."

She raised her scepter. "Kneel, Wreck-it Ralph. Kneel, Fix-it Felix Jr.!" She added that suddenly thinking of several things… Felix had helped in the battle of Sugar Rush, and since people already liked Felix, it would help to show the two together. The other was Calhoun. She was pretty sure that the tall blond had a thing for the handyman. Making him a hero would help them out, too.

"Everyone, I don't have fancy medals to give. I don't have castles, or gold, or statues. But I want the world to know that these men, with help from the brave Sergeant Calhoun here, ended fifteen years of prison made by Turbo. Turbo is gone, for good, and we can play our game like everything is supposed to be." Vanellope looked around. She almost wanted to giggle at the faces on Ralph and Felix. Even the strong Sergeant had a look of blank amazement. Turning to face Ralph again, she continued; "But I do have one gift to bestow upon Wreck-it Ralph. A personal gift, one to remind him every day of the life he saved from death, and worse.. non-reger… uh… genrat… oh, not-coming-back death." That drew a loud _gasp_ from the crowd.

Vanellope turned around. "Rancis… Taffyta… the package, please."

All three racers and Vanellope stood there a moment, eyes darting to each other. _Oops_.

"_Oh, that was just it_." Totally un-Princess-like, Vanellope leaned forward, hands on her hips, and scolded the tree racers. "Really? You seriously _forgot _my present? You _did_! Now, somebody… _anybody_… go back to the train and get it!". Rancis, Taffyta, and Winchell all ran back down the terminal. Candlehead was still scared stiff, and was hiding behind Duncan, using him as support. Vanellope turned back around, fuming; "I can't believe it! I went through all THIS!" as she gestured to her formal gown. "And then the big finish gets ruined…"

She stopped. She looked up. Ralph was kneeling, and looking at her… _through_ her, it seemed. But it was the smile on his face that shook her.

"Now _that's_ the _Princess_ I remember.", he said calmly.

Vanellope became still. When he smiled at her, there was no more anger, or fear, or anything but a sense of _safe_. But for the last few days, her whole life had been hiding… running… staying one step ahead of the plans of Turbo to rule Sugar Rush forever… without her in it. Ralph had made her feel _safe_. "_Is safe good? Is it enough? Is there more? Do I feel more? Do I want more?"_

Vanellope heard footsteps pounding up behind them. She turned back and took the package from the panting Winchell. Since it was almost as tall as her, she sort of dragged it around to hold it between herself and Ralph.

"Where was I? Yeah. I give you, Ralph, this token of my thanks, my respect, and my… '_whoops, you almost said something naughty there_' … affection." She whispered rather loudly to him; "Well take it, Stinkbrain. This is heavy." Ralph, the grin on his face just getting bigger, reached out and lightly pinched the package between two fingers. Vanellope winked at him; "It's a picture for your wall. That way you can see me every morning when you get up."

Wall. Ralph's brain just kind of _left_ for a moment. That was really about the only way to put it. _Wall_.

"Hello! Anybody there?" Vanellope was tapping his hand with her scepter. Ralph pulled his eyes into focus to look at her. She was beckoning him closer. He leaned down a bit further. She put her hands on either side of his head, and gave him a quick kiss on one cheek. A whiff of chocolate whenever she moved. She backed off a step. "Look, I'm going to come back tomorrow. At lunch. Maybe I can look around without a riot going on. We'll have some lunch. And please… _PLEASE_ try to stay out of trouble until then, okay?"

"_Closing act…"_ Vanellope turned to the crowd. The range of emotion on all the faces ran all the way from surprise and disbelief… to surprise and disbelief. "_At least the hate is gone_."

"Everyone, I'm going home now. There's a lot of work to do. When I come back, I won't be so formal. I'll just be… Vanellope." She raised her scepter in front of her and pointed it outward at the crowd. "And you just make sure he's here for me when I get back! Or… or I'll declare _WAR_!". Raised eyebrows at that. "That's right! I have a _LOT_ of cupcakes, and I'm not afraid to use them!" Smiles then. Job done, now she could get home before she passed out. Turning around, she headed back towards the train to Sugar Rush. The dress was feeling very restricting by now. She had burned off all that sugar, and she was getting so exhausted that she was just hoping to get to the train without embarrassing herself or anyone else.

The procession was a bit disheveled. Calhoun had dismissed the troopers and Kohut, and walked back with them. She had passed a note to Felix, and given him a very obvious smile, and a wink, as they left. Kohut caught that, but he wouldn't tell anyone back at base, because they would never believe it. Duncan felt relieved… his fear of the massive, armored Marines was almost as great as his fear of the mob.

Their little group reached the train without further incident, much to Winchell and Duncan's relief. The racers were like zombies as their minds tried to absorb everything. Their first foray into the larger world had been a bit more… eventful than they had wanted, all around. As Vanellope started to board, Calhoun cleared her throat.

"Um, Princess?" She had knelt down to be more at eye level. She needed to unburden herself to someone, and this young lady… this _soldier_… had proved smarter than everyone else today. Here was someone who knew how to function in the _real_ world. "Do you think you could come by an hour early? I'd… like to talk to someone about… _feelings_." The last word had been barely a whisper, meant only for her to hear.

Vanellope did not have the slightest idea what she could possibly help the Sergeant with. Calhoun was tall, strong, smart, and heavily armed. As for herself, her heart, her mind, her body and her brain were all going in different directions. "_Is this growing up_?"

"Sure. And really, if we're going to be friends, it's _Vanellope_."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph and Felix walked back towards the train slowly. The eyes of the people in the terminal still following them, but the crowd was already separating, spreading out to their normal pursuits in the evenings. Crisis averted. Even the most rabid among them were forced to admit that if nobody else could control him, that one girl had Ralph wrapped around her finger. In fact, pretty much the entire arcade had it figured out except for Ralph. Felix had his note in his shirt pocket. He would wait until he was alone in his apartment to open it. He was bouncing off the ground with each step. Her smile and wink had more power than any pie. He looked up at Ralph; "Ralph, was that _concrete_ in her hair?"

Ralph hadn't heard. The picture was still wrapped, under his arm. His mind was working in its lowest gear. "_She's coming here. Tomorrow. Wall_."

Felix understood. That Princess was real pretty all gussied up, and just for Ralph. His bounce got a bit lower as he thought; "_Those two are so easy to figure out. Why can't I do it_?" Saying good night to his distracted buddy, he turned to the front door of Niceland.

Ralph got to the foot of the massive pile of rubble he called home. He just stood there, staring at where he had lived for thirty years.

"_Wall_."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As people spread out, and started down their various gateways, Zangief felt a calm he wasn't sure he could believe.

Tapper finally stood up from leaning on the wall, and turned to go back into Tapper's. He looked around one last time. "Well, that just about answered every question I had left in my entire life. I don't think there's any secrets left now."

Zangief laughed; "Ho. You see Ralph and Princess? You see that look? Plenty more to learn around here, I think."


	6. Sorting it Out

**Sorting it all out.**

While many people felt that their night was just getting started, Vanellope was weary. After all the hectic movement, the fear, and the relief that everyone was safe, she felt like that one last bit of frosting someone had tried to cover an entire three-layer cake with. Shrugging off the concern of everyone, she was almost completely unaware of anyone else being there or talking to her. She apologized, and mumbling goodnight to everyone, she went to her room and _flopped_ onto her bed. The racers and the guards, even Sour Bill, went down to the kitchen for drinks and conversation. The outside of the game was a scary place, and Taffyta and the others wanted some familiar faces around them just now.

Vanellope lay there, wondering about things… too many things. Ralph had spent time in Sugar Rush. How did things work between games? Do people… _think_ the same? She knew the code… she had been living with the code that told her she was a racer, but had never been allowed to race. Learning, driving her car, chasing King Candy, trying to _win_, was the first time she had felt really alive. But the last day or so, driving wasn't that deep, burning desire it was all her life. It now was a more mellow thing. It made her think of the code, and especially hers, as some kind of a monster. It will control you; it will force you to eventually do what it wants. Like want to race, or even be a Princess.

"_Is that it_?", she wondered. "_My code makes me who I am, I get that. But can I do anything, can I feel anything, that my code doesn't say_?"

Then it came to her as a flash of insight. It was so obvious! She sat up suddenly, looking into the large mirror on the low Princess-height dresser across the room. "But the code never knew about Ralph! _Ralph_ isn't part of _my_ game!" So any thoughts of Ralph have to be _hers,_ and hers alone! She let herself settle back down. She knew who she wanted to talk to. Drifting off into the twilight of thought that video game characters used as sleep, she organized what she planned to do in the morning.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora was tired, too. Ordinarily, she would spend the day blasting bugs, come home, clean up, read a manual, and rest. The very un-ordinary night coupled with the thought that her newly discovered feelings for Felix could have ended with him being locked away from her forever made her shiver in a way no swarm of bugs could. She turned off the lamp and lay down, wanting to get to bottom of what she could trust as real or not. She felt it odd that she, leader of combat troops, needed the help of a young girl to understand life.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Felix had gotten home, sat down, and read the letter Tamora had slipped him. He read it again, and again, looking for anything else. Despite the smile and wink she had bestowed on him at the time, it was a simple, brief note: "_Felix. I'll see you tomorrow. The Princess has everything under control. We need to talk. Tamora."_

No hint at all. Granted, everyone was quite busy at the time, and there wasn't any opportunity for casual conversation. It sounded ominous, but Felix could never, ever forget the smile, and those bright blue eyes as he handed him, almost formally, this letter.

Well, it looks like he would find out tomorr…

*_CRASH_!*

From his half-open window, Felix flinched at what sounded like a pile of bricks falling. It sounded like Ralph was starting a game in the middle of the night. Felix bounced to the window. His apartment faced the dump, and he saw a most unusual sight.

Ralph had cleared out a large space at the foot of the dump. He was sorting out building parts and bricks from the enormous pile of rubble that had built up over the years. Like a child with blocks, he was trying, with his huge hands, to stack the bricks into walls. Of course, he wasn't very good at this, so after so many, they collapsed back into a heap. Felix watched this happen again, then heard Ralph use some very bad language as he drove his fist into a pile, shooting brick splinters in all directions, then sit down heavily, his head in his hands.

"_My lands_!" Thought Felix. "_He's trying to build something_." Felix felt it might be important to know why his friend would be doing this now. He went downstairs, and walked out towards the dump, coming over beside Ralph, who seemed oblivious to his presence.

"Ralph, old buddy?" Ralph started a bit, and lifted his head and looked over at Felix, whose look of genuine concern made him swallow his first, angry thought to tell him to get lost. Not having friends before this week, he had to work to hold off his temper. Now he knew people could care about him, even if just a little.

"Hi, Felix. Just… uh… straightening up a bit." He tried to bluff through his actions, but it clearly looked like he wasn't being normal right now. He decided to come clean. "Look, Felix." Ralph pointed to the green-wrapped package, carefully propped against the tree closest the dump. "She gave me a picture. She told me to hang it up on my _wall_. She's going to come by and see all I have for a home is a stump and a pile of garbage." He looked over towards the train stop as if he felt she would step out any second now. "She's a Princess now, you saw her. She's… beau… adorable… and _everybody_… loves… her. She doesn't need me to wreck anything for her anymore. She's probably embarrassed to be seen with me now." His rambling trailed off, as he started getting lost in his thoughts again.

Felix looked at Ralph, then around at the flat area surrounded by little heaps of bricks. _Now_ he understood. Ralph wanted a home, a place of his own, something normal for the young Princess to see. Ralph was _ashamed_, after all these years, because he had never cared about anybody else's opinion of him before.

Felix then did something a bit unexpected, even to himself; he _laughed_! Holding his left arm out as he saw Ralph's head twirl towards him, he drew his hammer and held it out. "Ralph, buddy, do have _any_ idea who you're talking too?"

Ralph's brain shifted into a slightly higher gear. Then his face brightened as he took in the fact that Felix would help him. "But Felix… you know most of this stuff is what I've been trying to drop on your head all day. Every day. All our lives."

Felix grinned. "That's because it's the _game_, Ralph. Didn't this whole mess start because _you_ said that the game wasn't your whole life? That when we were _not_ in the game, we could be different people? Can't you take your own advice? Let's _fix it_!"

Ralph had a surge of optimism flow through him as he stood up. After some discussion of how they would do this, Ralph and Felix laid out a section of wall, with the bricks lined up just right. Felix's plan was to fix the wall, then Ralph would lift it into place. Eventually they would have enough wall sections for a house. Felix leaned over the loosely joined bricks on the ground and tapped it with his hammer.

And then, in what would have been _very_ funny any other time, the two characters discovered the one major problem with this plan. And the problem, in the most real ironic way, was the magic hammer of Fit-it Felix… Jr.

You see, the human programmers of Fix-it Felix Jr. had been simple and absolute when they created the code for the hammer. The code was strong. The hammer could instantly repair, to its original condition, or even better, anything it hit. Not only could Felix fix the building easily, he proved it worked totally. The hammer repaired Vanellope's cart. It even repaired the complex electronics of a Hero Duty's shuttle. But… there was a limit… of one 'thing' per hit.

When Felix tapped the bricks, the hammer used its magic to the fullest. The problem was that out of a random pile of _decades_ worth of bricks, stones, and windows, stuff was totally mixed together so no two bits were from the same thing. Tapping the group of bricks restored the dozen walls that they originally came from. The shock of the restored walls threw Felix and Ralph back ten feet as the mixture of bricks restored into an enormous mess of a dozen walls, all jammed together and pointing parts in all directions. The result was a twenty-foot sort-of sculpture made of jagged wall parts.

They stood up, and dusted the brick bits off, and looked at the result. Felix had a confused look on his face, while Ralph was crestfallen. This was worse than what he had been trying to do. Felix stared at his hammer as if it had spoken to him. For the first time, he wasn't sure why it didn't work.

Then the ides came to him… "It _did_ work!" He looked up at Ralph and smiled. "Look, it put back every wall that those bricks came from! We can make this work! Um, can you clear that out?" He thought about his plan, as Ralph swept the pile out of the way, his long arms cleaning off the flat space quickly.

As he stood and watched the handyman, Felix looked up and said; "Ralph, get me a piece of the penthouse floor." Ralph went and dug through the dump, until he came back with a corner that he had wrecked a few days earlier. Felix had him lay it in the clearing, and turn it _just so_. Then he tapped it.

The result was what he had figured. Now, filling the clearing, was a perfect copy of the penthouse floor, shiny as the day the game was plugged in. Ralph's hopes lifted as Felix began having him find particular pieces of wreckage, all matching the stone and carving of the penthouse. By trial and error, with Ralph having to smash and throw away a lot of wrong guesses, they had a total duplicate penthouse setting on the ground. It looked as if the entire Niceland building had sunk to the top floor. After finding, and fixing a piece of roof, Ralph, with his great strength, shoved it into place.

After that came some touch-ups, like furniture, and the front doors. Even the foyer was faithfully copied. Beds, four of them, repaired and frames laid side to side, made one enormous Ralph-sized bed on one side of the room. There was no shortage of torn mattresses or cushions, which the hammer fixed as easily as brick. _Not_ using the hammer, they layered bricks underneath everything for the extra support Ralph needed.

Eventually, with the sun beginning to peek through the windows of the arcade, they were finished. Ralph stood in the middle of the room, which was both familiar and strange at the same time. "_Mine_."; he thought. "_I have my own place. I have a _home."

Felix could have sworn he saw a tear trickling down from Ralph's eye, but thought he shouldn't mention it just then. "Oh… forgot something." Felix said as he stepped outside the double doors. He went over to the tree and fetched the picture. He carried it in and shoved it towards Ralph.

"Well, open it up, Ralph." Ralph walked over. He carefully held the picture as he stripped the ribbon and the wrapping from it. He stared at it a long time. Long enough that Felix began fidgeting, even though he was smiling, and getting a bit impatient.

He walked over to the side wall. Taking out a nail, he placed it against the wall and tapped it with the hammer, which of course, drove it in to the exact depth and angle needed. Ralph watched this, and walked over and gently hung the picture. They stepped back to admire what had started this night's work, and had been such a worry to Ralph. Felix walked over, and straightened one corner a bit.

"Well, that's that." Felix said. "Ralph, I'm going to nod off a while, and you can relax too. You don't have to feel the least bit of shame because of Miss Vanellope, ever. We can fix this up so fancy that Gene will want to move in."

"Goodnight, Felix." Ralph said, still in a slight daze at standing in his own house, after thirty years. Then, another feeling hit him. He turned as Felix was walking towards the door. "Felix?" _pause_ "I don't know how to thank you. I couldn't have done this…" He tried to put it in words. Humility still didn't come easily to him. The man who's main emotion was anger was having to put up a major fight with his code when he wanted… he found he _needed_… to feel something else.

Felix understood. "Look, friend, I get it. Our code tells us how to play, and sometimes we forget. I didn't understand you all these years because my code makes me happy when I beat you. I just didn't think about you the same way. The _game_ says you're angry, but you don't want to be that all the time. Until this week, I never understood that. I just hope you can forgive me… us all… for it. The Nicelanders will come around eventually, I know they will."

Ralph looked at Felix, feeling that he had friends now. That made a lot of anger go away. Just how much anger was the game, and how much was his desire to be thought of as something besides the Bad Guy, only time would tell.

As Felix left, and the door… _his door_… softly swung shut behind him, Ralph sat down on the bed… _his bed_… and thought about anger, and how one little girl made it go away so easily now when he thought about her. Ralph them recalled that he had completely forgotten the important questions he had wanted to ask Felix. Felix was in love. It was obvious. But how do you know? He wasn't… _programmed _for such things. Do you turn it on like a switch? Or off? He looked up. Vanellope smiled at him from the other wall.

_Dare _he turn it on?

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope was up at first light. In Sugar Rush, there was always some light. The sky always had a kind of pure blue shade. The closest to night they had was a partial dusk. Most just closed the curtains when they wanted to rest. The palace had many large windows, and there were two such on the outside wall of her room. She didn't draw the blinds, because after the years and years of hiding in the fiery half darkness of Diet Cola Mountain, she wanted all the light she could get. Light used to be a luxury. Light helped make her a target for Turbo. She walked over and looked out the window to beauty and color as far as she could see. A day to not have to run, or hide, or try to get a cart. She could do anything she wanted here. There were people… people who looked up _to her_ now, and trusted her. She thought that it might not be all fun and games, being the one in charge. She tilted her head at the new thought. They hated her for so long, and now _she_ has to protect them.

She snickered. The same guards that had spent their entire lives chasing her would lock anybody up she said. Taffyta and the others who hounded her all those years could be made to suffer. "But why?", the rational part of her said. "They didn't know, and as far as they knew, the King was right." Her little joke at them after the reset made her smile, but also made her realize that their loyalty was now absolute. She was still having a problem with the _President _thing. _Princess_ was hard-wired into their code. That would take some time. But she had a bigger problem… one with big hands.

Light-hearted for the moment, she _glitched_ from her nightgown into her 'cool clothes', as she thought of them. She had worn her green outfit for so long; it felt a part of her. Running a brush through her tangled mass of hair was the only new item on her morning prep list. Running through the throne room, she passed Sour Bill. "Catch you later, sourpuss." She said as she went by. "I'm off for my appointments."

Sour Bill screwed his face up, looking, if possible, a bit sourer. "But your… Highness… you don't…". He managed to get out before the main door shut. He sighed. It was more orderly under King Candy, but in spite of it being more hectic now, he was… dare he say it?... _happier_. Advising the Princess didn't make him feel like he was always _fighting_ something inside now.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Bearded Poppa was getting to work. He wondered why he bothered today. With the arcade closed, there would be no players, and nobody would be using the mini-games. Then he started to laugh at himself. He had never taken a day off, not in fifteen years! King Candy had left absolute, ironclad orders that the Bakery was never to be left unguarded. Never, at all, or King Candy swore to put him into the fungeon until 'hot cookies froze over'. As caretaker and handyman, he also became the watchman. Candy had put in the monitors, and locks, and had Devil Dogs patrol regularly. So every day he had watched.

He was just picking up his lunch to leave for his first day off ever, when he saw the cart _zoom_ing up the road towards the bakery. He knew that cart, and that racer. So he did something that felt so funny after so long; he put down the lunch box, raised the gate bar for the cart to pass, and bowed his head.

But the cart didn't pass. Still looking down, Poppa heard the cart stop. For a few seconds, he heard the low purr of the idle. Then the engine stopped. He raised his head, the first thing to catch his eye was that one red headlight of the Princess's 'other' car. Then he looked at her. She had a confused look. Her eyes went from him, to the raised gate, to the bakery, then wildly looked around the area, then snapped back to him. She seemed to be chewing on something, thought wise.

Poppa smiled. "If I thought it would help, I'd stand here and apologize all day. I'd bake you a hundred carts if it would help. I did wrong to my Princess all this time and I don't know what to say." He took another breath, and moved his arm in a broad sweep towards the Bakery. "But it's your Bakery, and I'm not a guard anymore."

Vanellope screwed up her courage; "Bearded Poppa, I know. I know all about how King Candy took everything. One day I'll tell you more to that story. But I came out here hoping to find _you_. I need to ask you something."

Poppa raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, if it's how to dress up that ugly cart, we can…"

"NO!" Vanellope pushed both arms out in front of her in mock horror. "Don't touch anything! It's _perfect_!"

Another eyebrow at that one. "Well, your Highness, what can I do for you? And folks just call me Poppa around here."

Vanellope bounced out of the cart and came over to the curb where he was standing beside the booth. "Can we sit down a minute?", she plopped down on the curb, her hands on her knees, looking at him. Poppa sat down next to her, and looked over at the worried face, the lines in her forehead, and the eyes that looked like they hadn't gotten quite enough rest.

"This sounds important." Poppa said, "And I'm not able to help much on… _what was the saying_… matters of state."

Vanellope looked him straight in the eyes. "No, it's not that. It's way more important… at least to me." She looked around as if she had one last thought to run. Then she sighed.

"Poppa, I need you to tell me about… about… growing up." She looked him in the eyes again. "And getting older. How it _feels_. How can I _do_ it?"

Poppa understood now. Problem was, he didn't have any more eyebrows to raise. She wasn't going to like it, but he understood the truth better than she did. "_But she didn't have a normal life. She never had a chance to learn things the right way_." He had to figure out how to say it right, as he looked into the big hazel eyes that needed an answer.

He stood up, and paced back and forth a few steps in front of her. The he straightened up, faced her, and tried his best to make her understand.

"I'd like to. I'll tell you anything I know. But I promise you, I'm no older than you are." He watched a mixture of shock and confusion fight for control of her face. He thought; "_If she gets mad, I'm going to run_." He walked over and sat back down. Not quite looking her in the eyes, he tried to explain.

"Ahem… Princess, on the day the game was plugged in, and we all came… err… _alive_ for the first time, we were all just like we are now. In over fifteen years, not one person has changed in the least. I'm the old caretaker because my _code_ says I'm an old caretaker. He thought for a few moments more, then looked straight into her face. "But it's not that part of the code that's the most important. It's _how much code_ that matters."

Vanellope scrunched up her face, trying to understand. "How much? How… I mean… what…" she couldn't form the right question.

Poppa continued. "See, you have thousands of subjects here, _thousands_. But how many do you talk to? How many can do things?"

Vanellope thought about it. The guards, the racers… Poppa here… and… "Not many."

Poppa chanced a small smile. "That's because of the _code_, you see. All the spectators, all the citizens, they're just a little bit of code. They watch the race, and they cheer for the racers. You, know, they don't even care who wins. They're really simple people. They watch, they cheer, then they go home and talk about the races. They probably dream about them. That's all they do."

Poppa paused a second; "Then there's people like me, and Sour Bill, and the guards, and the racers. We have things to do. We were created a little smarter so we can do our part of the game. I refill the vats in the Bakery, make sure it works, and clean up the ones that didn't finish." He smiled; "And you and your boyfriend left a doozey of a mess in there the other day." Vanellope looked at her knees and blushed a bit.

Poppa pointed at her. "And then there's you. You're the Princess. You make sure everything's in order. You show the players the demo. You can race. You can _think_ more than the rest of us. And there's one thing, I think, that makes you really special."

Vanellope looked up at his face, the question in her eyes. Poppa cleared his throat. "Look, when the game reset, we all got our memories back. We remembered what happened under Candy, but we also remembered our real code. We all went back to what we were originally created to do. I fixed the Bakery back to the day we were plugged in… no more locks for you."

He paused a moment to try to say it right; "But you… _you_… are different. You didn't just go back to being the Princess like you were those days before Candy took over. You _can_ be the Princess when you want, but… " . He waved his hand, indicating the outfit Vanellope chose to wear. "You can make up your own mind. The way I look at it… you grew up."

Vanellope wasn't sure if that was the answer she wanted. So there was no change. She was at least really happy she wasn't magically turned back into some spoiled, prissy snob. Poppa was telling her she had kept more control of her own, separate personality, formed _outside the code_. Princess Vanellope and the _glitch_ Vanellope that formed when Turbo tried to delete her code had come together without a fight. Nothing had been forgotten or written over… they had just _merged_.

Poppa summed it up; "So if anyone can answer your question, it would be _you_. You're the only one I know who's done it."

She stood up. Poppa stood with her. "I've got other people to see today, but I want to thank you. I don't know if I'm… _happy_ with this… but… _sigh! _ I guess I've got to make it work, somehow."

Poppa tried not to smile at her confusion. "Bet this has something to do with that feller you've been tearing up the game with. That's another thing I can't help you with. But from what we all saw, I don't see a problem there."

Vanellope stamped her foot and clenched her fists. Poppa leaned back. "But there _is_ a problem with 'that feller'!" she exclaimed; "He only thinks of me as…" She passed her hands down her sides, "…as a little girl! A child! I'll be sixteen soon, and even that shouldn't matter because I'll _NEVER_ get big enough for him to think of me as a grown person!" She was panting, balanced between anger and sadness. "He won't look at me as somebody who loves him, and I _don't _mean a sister, or friend, or… anything else! The code says I _look_ like a little girl, and I _act_ like a little girl, but part of me _thinks_! Part of me doesn't…" She paused. She dropped her hands. She looked into Poppa's face, and said in a tiny voice; "Part of me doesn't even want to be me if there's no Ralph."

Poppa stepped over and risked putting a hand on her shoulder. "Your Highness, I don't know what to try to say. But I do know one thing, here. You're smart. Smartest person here. And you're… _unique_. Nobody else has ever been where you have. But after fifteen years of chasing you around here, I know you can find a way."

Vanellope tried to smile a bit. She gave him a quick hug, and got back in her cart, turned around, and headed for the Rainbow Road. She waved goodbye over her shoulder.

Poppa watched her cart get smaller in the distance. If the Princess had set her sights on that big man, he really didn't stand a chance.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope was a little early to the station. She had spoken with Duncan, and assured him that she would be with Ralph or Calhoun. Duncan still insisted that somebody needed to make sure someone just made sure she got there. So it was she and Duncan riding the train down. The car slid to a quiet stop, and they walked out the exit.

After the hullaballoo last night, she didn't know what to expect. But it was, she reckoned, normal. It was early, and there were few characters about. She stepped out into the main hall, looking around at all the gates, and the games they led to. She saw Hero's Duty, and her eyes rested for a few moments on Fix-it Felix Jr. _Later_. There was plenty of time later, but she was anxious to get going.

Saying goodbye to Duncan, who was settling down on a bench, she walked down the corridor of Hero's Duty. The train was enormous! Huge, dark, with clicks and hisses coming from the body of the multi-car metal shell. As she walked up, the sliding doors slid apart. She leaned over to peek around the door. No one was there, and the rows of plastic benches and plain metal poles looked so stark and unfriendly. There was an oily smell to everything. It was the opposite of Sugar Rush completely, and she thought she started to understand the gruff, all-business Calhoun a little better. She stepped up into the car, and sat on one of the hard seats. The doors closed, and the train slid out of the station, so fast Vanellope almost fell over sideways. But the ride was fast, she thought. Only a few seconds until she was pushed forward by the force of the brakes.

She stepped out of the car. The platform was empty. Well, she was early, but she thought somebody would be about. She looked around, wondering what to do. In Sugar Rush, there was only the short walk to the Rainbow Road. Here, in this large station with all sorts of signs, and blinking lights, were several doors. One large metal one, and two smaller ones. She then remembered that this was the place the _cybugs_ came from! She began looking around wildly. "_I'm stupid_!" She thought; "_I need to get out of here before they eat me_!"

"_Who are you, and what's your business_!"

The sound had come from a square panel on the wall nearest her. Vanellope jumped several feet in surprise and fell on her… back. Above the panel, a small box with a round eye rotated to look at her. A camera! She knew what cameras were; that's how the players saw the tracks in Sugar Rush.

"Umm, Vanellope von Schweetz, and I'm from Sugar Rush." She stood, and brushed off her… back. "I'm here to see… umm… Calhoun? Tall blond lady? She has…"

"Uh, Miss?" The speaker interrupted her; "Believe me, everyone here is very much aware of who the Sergeant is. And she has left instructions. You're a bit early, but someone is on their way to escort you right now. And Miss… please don't push any buttons."

At that moment, one of the small doors slid open. Kohut stepped through and stood in front of her. "_He was with Ralph yesterday_." Vanellope recalled.

Kohut looked at her, and swept his arm towards the open door. "If you please, Princess, I'll take you to town."

Vanellope walked over to the door. She looked in the small, _tiny_, room with no windows. She looked up at Kohut. "Not too many people are going to get in there." She said, "And she's not here."

Kohut was confused for a second, then grinned; "It's an elevator, your Highness. Ummm, a small room that moves… like a train. It goes to the town. I reckon you don't have a lot of tech in other games."

Satisfied, but with a bit of apprehension, Vanellope stepped into the little room, standing off to one side to make room for Kohut as she watched him press a button on the wall. The door closed, and she felt the floor move. Trying to keep up a strong front, she said; "Well, we have cameras, and carts, but I guess we don't have this tech stuff. Nothing like this. And everything's so _dark_… and _smelly_… sorry… I don't know if you'd like _my_ game, either."

Kohut nodded. "Who knows? The Sergeant said all the colors and the sugar in the air gave her a headache. But we've… always lived like this. We go out now and see other games, but a lot of the men just got to Tapper's after work."

"Is that a fun game?" Vanellope asked. Kohut shrugged. "More of a gathering place. Get a drink, talk… you know. Characters for lots of games go there. Sometimes get in trouble." He thought of Markowski.

The room shook lightly and stopped. The door slid opened, and Kohut stepped out, hand on his sidearm. He blocked her in the door as he took a look around, then relaxed a bit and stepped aside. She followed him as he walked down a narrow paved path to a group of buildings down the gentle slope."

Worried a bit, Vanellope asked; "Are there those bugs here? Like, all the time?" She couldn't imagine living in fear all the… well, yes she could.

Kohut gave her the story quickly as they approached the first buildings; "When the game was programmed, it always starts with us landing from the ship to clear out the lab. That's where the player always starts. But there is no ship. We didn't have any place to stay in the game. One part of the town was part of the game. The families and a few scientists not at the lab were here to be rescued. We just put up some sensors and monitors, then patrol the place. The sky is a bit lighter here, and we use the buildings and warehouses. There's even a few farms outside of town."

They walked past a church, the once beautiful stained-glass window on one end smashed. There were more Space Marines standing around, everyone seemed to be staring at her. In doorways, leaning out windows, and standing just off the street near them.

"Are they looking at _me_?" Vanellope asked. Kohut smiled as he looked down to her uplifted face. "Yes, they are. Sergeant Calhoun came back the other day after tracking that cybug and your boyfriend. She told us things that we would _never_ have believed, if they hadn't been from _her_. She told us about a young girl who charged a swarm of 'bugs. She had no armor, no weapons, but she had some _dangerous magic_. Then we saw you yesterday face down an angry mob that armed Marines couldn't stop. So you're a VIP, and they want to see the little tiger in person."

Besides not knowing what a tiger or a VIP was, she marveled at the thought that everyone thought of her _glitch_ as _dangerous magic_. But… "Wait." She asked; "Everybody thinks Ralph is my boyfriend… even here?"

Kohut stopped, and glanced at her serious face. He knelt down so he could look her more straight in the eyes. "See here. I was in the Felix game with those two. When Ralph heard _you_ were in the arcade, all I saw in his eyes was _fear_. And not for himself. He pretty much didn't care what happened to him last night." He stood up again. "So yes… _everybody_ knows you two have a thing going."

Vanellope absorbed that bit of information. Then she looked up. "A… thing?"

Kohut held up a hand, wiggled his fingers; "Yeah… you know… a _thing_." He dared a wink at her. He watched her quickly look down at the ground, her hands clasped in front of her, with her face turning a light-to-medium pink. _Whoops_. "Maybe you should talk to Calhoun about it."

They walked towards a small one-story cottage in silence after that. Several around it were damaged or destroyed, but some of the neighborhood had been repaired as well as their carpenter skills allowed.

The door opened as they approached, Calhoun standing in the doorway. She looked as Vanellope had always seen her… light armor, and the ever-present sidearm. She had a tired, worried look this time, though. "_How can someone look so beautiful and so tired at the same time_?" Vanellope wondered.

Calhoun thanked Kohut, and ushered Vanellope inside.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo


	7. Feelings

**Feelings.**

Ralph lay there a while, but he found he couldn't rest. It was early morning, and he thought that Tapper's might be quiet, and maybe he could get a little brain food. So he took the train down to Game Central. Few people were walking around then. Walking into Tapper's, he took his usual seat at the fourth bar. On the other side were a couple more Space Marines, and one of them gave a tentative wave, then they went back to talking among themselves. Tapper walked over.

Ralph didn't want anything strong; "Just a root beer this morning. _And_ some advice, if you've got time." His root beer arrived moments later, sliding to a stop directly in front of him, just like it had for thirty years. Tapper followed it a few seconds later, towel flipped over his shoulder. With it quiet, everything had been caught up, polished, put away, refilled, and ready for the new day.

Ralph started to talk, then thought of something else entirely; "Tapper, I was just thinking… we're about the same age. You're only a couple of years older than me. So how come you're so smart, and I'm so… dumb?" Ralph had an idea. "The bartender thing, right? Because you hear so much?"

Tapper looked at him a few seconds, squinted his eye at him, and started. "Ralph… you're the oldest friend I have left next to Q*Bert, and I can't understand him most of the time. I'm surprised I haven't been unplugged yet. I don't get a lot of players, and in the past, games that don't get a lot of quarters eventually get unplugged. Maybe the human Litwak just likes us." He scratched the side of his head, and went on; "So I'll tell you my biggest secret about how I found out so much." He pointed to the end of the third bar. "Many years ago, while cleaning the floor there, I saw that Litwak had put up a new game. But it wasn't like any other game. It had a screen, but didn't have any controls. And it sat on a shelf above the side door. And you didn't play it… it only showed pictures from games. And even that didn't look like much fun, 'cause there were hours where people sat behind a desk and talked about stuff, like rain, and other stuff like war games. There were scenes from sports games, and racing, and lots of things I had never seen before."

Ralph was completely hooked, his root beer forgotten as he gave Tapper all his attention. Tapper leaned over closer, and then went on. "It was some time, months even, before I figured out the truth. That screen was how the humans told each other things. The stuff on the screen was real humans playing sports, and racing, and _killing each other_!" He paused. "Remember Contra? Well, just like that. But the really hard part to understand is why they did that, because… well… _humans never regenerate_!"

Ralph gasped. _Never_? "But Tapper, we know how they get older, and bigger. Sometimes an old human never comes back. Does that mean they're…" Tapper nodded. "That right, Ralph. The players are usually the in-between humans. You know the tiny humans that get pushed around in little buggies? That's the new humans. Then they get bigger, and soon they become players. And people like us, Ralph… the old guys… are the only one who even _see_ the arcade any more. New games, the characters don't look out the screen. The human world is just a story to them."

Ralph thought hard about that. During the days, he and Felix stood around waiting for a quarter alert. He spent a lot of hours over the years just watching the humans. He remembered players that when they first came, they had to look up at the screen, barely able to reach the joystick. He saw how the player got taller every year, until he was looking down at the screen, lanky arms easily hitting all the controls. Then one day the player stopped coming.

"Yeah, that fits in." Ralph mused. "That's how I've always wondered about humans. I know the programmers that make our code are humans. I don't know… I guess we never have to worry about that stuff. We just live our games and make the humans happy."

Tapper nodded. "Well that, in short, is how I know so much… about games, or humans, or anything else. Twenty-five years I've watched that box, because sometimes he never turns it off at night."

Ralph took a drink, suddenly thirsty. "Thanks, Tapper. I don't feel quite so stupid anymore. I think that normal is good enough for me. I don't mind everybody being smarter, or quicker than I am, I just like to know _how_ they did."

Tapper wiped the bar in front of him. "Ralph, you've never been dumb. It's just that most of us are either living our game for the players, or we're just waiting to. Now, you've got other things to think about, like your Princess."

Ralph leaned back. "Hold on, there, Tapper. She's not my… look, she's just a kid!"

Tapper shook his head. "You've been watching the humans too long, Ralph. You watch them get older. You know when the humans get big enough to start being interested in each other more than they are us. Time isn't the same thing for us." He rubbed his chin; "Tell me, is there anything different about you from thirty years ago?"

Ralph shut his mouth. No, he was still exactly the same, when he thought about it clearly. He wasn't any bigger, or smaller, or older. "Okay, but what's that got to do with her?"

Tapper _sighed_. "See here… her game is over fifteen years old. You think she's just a kid because her _code_ says so. You're hung up on how humans _change_. But those guys…" He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder. "…they've been telling stories about her. And everybody saw her come out to stop the arcade from locking you out. None of that sounds like a kid to me."

Ralph sagged in his seat, elbows on the bar, trying to take that in. Tapper continued; "So you seem to be stuck with the Princess whether you want it or not. You just have to figure out if you want it. Everything else takes care of itself. I've seen a lot since I've been plugged in, and if anyone really cares about you, it's her."

Ralph stood up. "Thanks Tapper. I don't know if I'm done fighting it yet, but… yeah, maybe I have already." He walked out to go home; shoulders more slumped than usual, lost in thought. _Home_. The idea hit him a bit different now that he had a place he could call _his_.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora showed Vanellope into the house she had turned into an office, headquarters, and barracks. There was a desk in the living room, with the couch and chair still against one wall. The desk held bits of equipment, like a box with buttons and a speaker on it, what looked like a small game screen, and assorted small objects. Hanging from hooks on the far wall was one of those big guns she had been using in Sugar Rush. Tamora waved her to the couch, and sat down in the large chair. She didn't relax in it, but leaned forward, her arms resting on her knees, leaning in a bit.

"So, short stuff, how do you like the big world now?" She said as the shorter Vanellope had to jump up a bit to settle on the human-sized couch. She knew that the girl had never left the game before yesterday.

Vanellope wasn't sure she could answer truthfully without insulting the lady. "Well… it's sure different. And a bit scary… and smelly." She looked at Calhoun; "And nothing feels quite right. Is that normal?"

Calhoun nodded at that. "Yeah, I think there's something that draws us back to our own game. Not quite… home… but maybe safety. We can't die in our own games. It's the only place nobody can really hurt us." _But there's a different kind of hurt_.

Tamora looked Vanellope straight in the eyes. "Okay, Princess. I know you are itching to get to your man, so I'll cut to the chase." She paused, "I know you have feelings for Wreck-it. Heck, everybody in the arcade knows it. What I need to know is how you _know what's real_."

Vanellope's mouth kind of dropped open. _Huh? But she's a… grown… woman! What can I do?_ She must have looked as confused as she felt, because Tamora's face softened a bit.

"Maybe you don't know yet.", Calhoun started, as she settled back in the chair. "Our game's only been plugged in for a week or so. But the programmers had a lot of time on their hands, and wrote stories for us. When we woke up, on that very first day, some of us thought about things before the game. Things that happened even _before_ we were plugged in." Calhoun's eyes narrowed to slits as she remembered yet again; "I was engaged. I was getting married. His name was… Brad. During the wedding, a cybug got through the perimeter and… _ate him_." She still shuddered when she remembered that.

She leaned forward again. "But the last few days, I figured out it wasn't real. Something doesn't _feel _right about it. If I'm only a week old, how can I remember all the time we dated? And then the one big question came to me… _why didn't he regenerate_? It happened right across the street."

She looked at Vanellope with a face that was… pleading? "If it was real, he would have come right back before the next quarter alert, wouldn't he?" She seemed to be trying to talk herself into something she only half believed. "I checked the roster. I checked the books. I checked _everything_. There's no record of him _at all_. It's all just some… stupid fake _code_… somebody shoved in me."

Tamora _plopped_ back in the chair, as if she had finally talked herself into something. She was looking upwards out the front window at the ruined church. "Now there's Felix. He's cute. And he's handy to have around in a… _sticky_ situation. And brave. And a great kisser." She looked back down into Vanellope's eyes. "But how do I know what feelings are mine and which ones got… _stuck _in me?" She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "How do I know my code just doesn't _make me_ love anybody who passes by?"

They both sat in silence for a bit. Neither one was looking quite directly at the other, as they fought their own private demons. Then Vanellope shifted a little and cleared her throat, getting Tamora's attention.

"Wow. I can't believe I know something about that. I worried about stuff kinda just like that. I mean, Ralph's from a different _game_, too." She looked over at the woman, with her eyes riveted to Vanellope's face. "I don't know if it'll help, but there's more than one answer for me."

"Until Ralph pushed me across the finish line, and we got our memories back, I couldn't really understand my life at all." Vanellope's face went rather dark. "Just… one morning I… woke up naked in the Candy Cane Forest. I found clothes here and there. I started looking around, but when I met other people, they ran away and called the guards." She pushed some stray hair back from her face and looked at Tamora. "Then I just tried to… _deal_ with it. I found a secret place, and I stole a few things for it, and just lived the best way I could."

She sighed; "Then… the other day, Ralph came. He didn't run, or yell… then. In fifteen years, I hadn't ever met a stranger. He was the first person who didn't accuse me of being a _glitch_. He talked to me like _people_."

She looked down at her shoes, sticking out off the cushion. "I might not have been as nice as I thought I was. At first, I was just using Ralph. I stole his medal to get into the race. I didn't care how he felt. Then I… _blackmailed_ him into breaking into the bakery for me." She looked at Tamora with tears of memory pooling in her large hazel eyes. "But then… he smiled at me… and taught me to drive… and didn't treat me like a… _glitch_! Everybody chased me, or hit me, or… just _hated_ me!"

She looked back down to her feet. "Everyone but Ralph. And when he dove into… the fire…" She was starting to choke a bit; "I felt that in all my life, that I had never felt _safe_… like nobody could hurt me… except with _him_." She sniffed and looked back into Tamora's eyes. "I think that… if I had been too late for Ralph… I'd have just jumped in with him. I need him near me. I need him to _believe _me."

Tamora slid off the chair onto her knees in front of the couch. She hugged Vanellope. She felt the light body shake as the Princess cried softly for several minutes. _And I thought I had problems_._ I worry about fake things and this girl's been tortured all her life. I'm surprised she can love anyone at all. I could shoot him._

But Vanellope was made of strong, even elastic, stuff. She leaned back from Tamora's shoulder. Pushing back into the couch, she _sniffed _and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Okay." She held up a finger between them and stared at it. "One. You think your code _makes_ you love Felix. That parts easy. I figured it out the other day. Felix isn't part of _your_ code at all. Your game _never_ knew Felix, so that's your love, not the game's." Tamora's face relaxed some.

She looked up and smiled at Tamora. "But the next part could be fun." She tilted her head a bit. "Look, you kissed this Brad guy, and you thought you loved him, right?" _A small nod from Tamora_. Vanellope held up another finger; "Then you kissed Felix, and you think you love _him_!" _Another nod._

Vanellope leaned forward, a grin on her face from ear to ear… "Did you kiss anybody _else_?"

Tamora's mouth dropped open. _That's it? Wait… that's it! _Always the first to action, she stood up and walked over to her desk. Pressing a button on the comm, she called; "Kohut! We need to see you for a minute!" Hearing the acknowledgement, she released the button and walked back over to the couch. "Well, this could be a bit hard to explain."

Vanellope giggled. "Want me to leave you two…" she fluttered her eyelids; "…alone?"

Tamora gave her her meanest war face, which had absolutely no effect. "No, I think I need witnesses for this. You stay right there!" There was a knock at the door.

Hearing permission to enter, Kohut walked in. The Sergeant was standing in the center of the room. Looking over to the side, he saw Vanellope on the couch. She was lying on her stomach; her elbows were together, her hands propping up her head. She had the strangest smile on her face. He stood at attention.

"At ease, Kohut." Calhoun said in a less-gruff-than-usual voice. She was pacing back and forth in front of him. He thought she was thinking very hard about what she wanted to tell him. This felt _bad_. A quick glance told him the Princess was still laying there, still smiling, and still staring at him.

"Kohut?" Calhoun started; "Now, I have to take a… test. I need some… assistance." A _snort_ came from the couch. Calhoun shot Vanellope a quick sneer and looked back at him. She walked right up in front of him and stopped. "I need to try something, and I trust you more than the others. I want you to know that it is _nothing personal_. And if you tell the men, you'll eat 'bug stew for a month! Got it?"

Kohut was starting to shake. He knew that if the Sergeant was that upset, it must be something really horri…

Tamora placed her hands on both sides of his head, pulled herself close, then closed her eyes and kissed him, softly… for some time. Then she pulled back. She dropped a few steps back, looking downward, and brushed some imaginary dust from the front of her armor. There were strange muffled noises coming from the area of the couch, as if a face was pressed into a cushion, trying to be quiet.

"Ahem, well… that's all, Kohut." She was a bit pink in the face. "You can go now." She still couldn't look straight at him as he turned and left. Totally bewildered, he stumbled on the front step as he wandered back to his rooms.

As soon as the door shut, Vanellope sat up, laughing so hard her sides hurt. "_WOW_! Planted one right on him! And his _face_!" Then she calmed a little, remembering why this was necessary. She looked up at the straight-faced woman; "Well? Anything?"

Tamora looked at her. Then broke into a huge, radiant smile… the first one Vanellope had ever seen. Tamora reached down, grabbed Vanellope by the sides and swung her around in a circle. Then she put her down, leaned over, and touched a finger to the tip of Vanellope's nose. "Nothing. Not… a… thing. You were absolutely correct. It's Felix, and _just_ Felix."

Vanellope couldn't resist. "Are you _really_ sure? There's a lot of guys out there. I could just line 'em up and you could…" She was interrupted by Tamora shoving her backwards onto the couch with a _flop_. "Oh no, you don't, young lady! I'll never be able to look Kohut in the face again as it is."

She looked at Vanellope. The guilt she had felt since… well, since they had been plugged in dropped off of her like a heavy pack. She owed her sanity to the only person who understood the code. She straightened up. "Well, how can I thank you?" She asked Vanellope as the Princess stood up. "Whatever you need, anytime." This debt would be hard to repay.

Vanellope looked up at her as she brushed off her arm; "I don't need much." She thought for a minute. "What I really need, I don't think you can just hand me, or shoot for me." She looked up into the blue-eyed Sergeant's face; "I just want Ralph. Now that both of _us_ have this love stuff figured out, what about the guys? Ralph's sure going to be stubborn about this."

Tamora grabbed up her gear for them to leave. "I'm pretty sure I can convince Felix. I just don't know how you walk up to a man in cold blood and tell him he's getting married."

Vanellope laughed. "Well, you need to make sure I know how that works." She stopped. "Tamora? What's a VIP?"

Tamora hustled her out the door. "Very Important Princess." She said without the slightest hesitation as they stepped out onto the road.

"Just one more thing, then." Vanellope stopped and faced Tamora. "What _exactly_ is a…" She wiggled her fingers and gave the Sergeant an exaggerated _wink_. "…thing? They all say I've got one going with Ralph."

Anybody still watching would have been amazed at the two women, both with pink faces and laughing loudly, as Tamora explained her rather R-rated version of what a… _thing_ was, while they walked back to the elevator.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was getting on mid-morning when Ralph got off the train. As he walked back to his new house, he saw Felix pacing in front of the doors. Felix saw him and stopped. He was holding a small flat box.

"Hey, buddy. Nobody was home." Felix acted fine, but there was a worried look about him. Ralph thought he didn't quite look as neat and chipper as usual. "Just out for some air.", Ralph said. "Care to come in? And don't feel like you have to hang around waiting. You built it, so you're always welcome here." They went inside and Felix put the box down on the only table there so far. The biggest dining table they could find in the dump did make a decent coffee table for Ralph.

"I've got a nice, fresh pie here, and I thought we'd have some and talk a little." Felix dug around in the restored cabinets and found a few plates and pieces of silverware. Having a feeling Felix didn't just want to hang out and have a snack, Ralph sat on the couch as Felix shoved a plate in front of him. Since luxuries from Niceland were never thrown away, he wasn't going to waste _this_. He reached for the fork. The taste was incredible.

In an unusually good mood, he asked; "Well, Felix, I'm sure you didn't just come by to feed me. Do you have girl problems, too?" That last part just slipped out. Ralph shut his mouth.

Felix was standing at the other end of the table, with his hands holding the edge. "Is is that obvious?" He asked. "Well, yes I guess it is." He started pacing and using the clipped voice he uses when he gets excited; "And yes, I am… I mean do. I mean… she's smart, and beautiful, and strong. But she _shoots things_ for a game, Ralph! What would she want with _me_?"

Ralph started to say; "But…"

Felix was oblivious to anyone at that moment. He went on; "And she's the bravest person in the arcade. She stood, and fought, and it wasn't even her game!" He wound down a bit. "I just don't see how she could be happy around me at all."

Ralph tried to get the idea in his mind straight. He had never really had to use higher concepts before, so he didn't have it organized yet.

"Hmmm. Felix, I think..." Ralph said quietly. He had Felix's attention then. "Look, I've been in that game. You were too. It's a… wreck. Everything's dark, and smashed, and shot up, and chewed up… I mean… did you ever think that she likes you maybe because _you fix things_? Maybe… a guy that doesn't destroy everything might be… appealing to someone like her."

Ralph tried to explain as Felix's mouth opened, but no words came out. His eyes were drifting. "Look at me. In the Princess's game, I helped _build_ something. Something that _worked_. It made me really think about it and how… happy she… I mean, it made me."

Ralph leaned towards Felix; "Maybe she hangs around smashed stuff so much every day that fixing things makes her happy? And nobody can fix it like you can."

He looked down at his feet; "I just wish my problem was so simple."

Now Felix looked confused. He scratched his head; "Ralph, I don't see any problem. That Miss Vanellope just as much as told the entire arcade that you _belong_ to _her_." He pointed a finger at Ralph; "The only problem you have with _her_ is _you_!" Felix smiled at Ralph; "Or is the problem really that you can't stop thinking of her as a kid? We've been through this already, friend."

Ralph slumped down on the couch. "I know. And I've been through it a hundred times. Tapper even set me straight. But that just won't go away. And what would people think, seeing a Bad Guy with a… _Princess_?!"

Felix grinned; "Well, nothing more that they think already, you know. If you're worried about your reputation, you can stop. You don't have one anymore. But… now that's a good thing."

Both of them sat there for a minute figuring out how that last sentence worked out.

Ralph looked up; "Felix, she makes me smile… and not… angry all the time. But she's Princess now, and I'm still just dumb old… me."

Felix walked over, and put a hand on Ralph's arm. "Look buddy, our code is the old kind. Sometimes it's hard for us to keep up with things. But for Miss Tamora, I'm sure going to try my best."

Ralph gave a small smile to Felix; "Yeah, I guess all we can do is try. It's just that she's so… _bouncy_… and smart… and all Princessey and stuff. I've always done just one thing. I just feel so… outdated, like I can't think fast enough for her."

Felix nodded in agreement. He sighed; "Well, we can't just give up, no matter how different the games get." He looked up; "Well, I'll go now, but don't you worry. I think she loves you, and even if _you_ think you're stupid, _she_ knows what's right enough for both of you."

Ralph watched him leave. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out if he felt better or worse. He walked over to the bed. There was some time to think before going out to meet her.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

As they left the Hero's Duty gate, they got a few stares from the people going about their day off. Vanellope saw Duncan, sitting on the bench, with a fairly large group of people asking him rapid-fire questions about Turbo, Sugar Rush, the Princess, Ralph, Calhoun… he was considerably overwhelmed.

"Well, I don't know this _Turbo_ guy…" "No, she hasn't ever left the…" "We take care of the…" He looked relieved as the group _shushed_ and parted for Vanellope and Calhoun.

Vanellope saw the confused look on Duncan's face and held his hand. "Look, you can go back if you want. I'll either be with Tamora or Ralph… or both. I'll be fine, really."

Duncan eyed the tall, armed woman, then his Princess. Everybody, including Vanellope herself, seemed more capable than him to make sure she was safe. "Well… if you're… really sure…"

Calhoun broke in; "Not a problem, sweet thing. We'll make sure she gets home safe and sound." For the benefit of the crowd, she added in a slightly louder voice; "And I really don't want to think about what _Wreck-it_ would do if the Princess had any… _accident_."

Duncan practically sprinted towards the Sugar Rush gate as the women turned to walk off. A few steps away, Vanellope looked up at Tamora with a raised eyebrow. "Ummm, did you just _try_ to scare them?"

Tamora turned and knelt down, looking Vanellope straight on; "Just covering the angles, sugar queen." She looked around, seemingly casually; "Almost everyone here is nice, and behaves themselves. _Almost_. But after what you went through with this Turbo guy, we can't ever forget that somewhere there's always somebody that's _happy_ being the Bad Guy. Someone who'll try to take advantage of you or your game." She stood up. "All I did was plant an idea. You have friends. You have trouble, and they know now that the most dangerous group of armed men in the history of the arcade will be there." She smiled down; "And if that isn't enough, there's the biggest, strongest, _angriest _person around that will tear this place down if you get hurt. _That_ should make that kind think."

Vanellope hadn't really thought about the fact that many games had Bad Guys. She knew Turbo had been truly evil, but she thought everyone was more like Ralph; a Bad Guy in name only. The idea that there could be more like Turbo made her heart speed up a notch. "I didn't think… okay, Tamora, I'll be careful."

The she looked up at the next gate; "Can we try this game? I heard about it. It's safe." Calhoun looked up. _Tapper's_. "Okay, your Highness. All this yakking has made me thirsty, anyway."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

(Author's interlude)

Not spoilers, but to explain why some characters think and act as they do, and what they _know_, I need to throw in a bit of the history of video games and their evolution.

Really, if you don't like technical stuff, you can skip this section. But, there's some insight into the characters here.

When video games got started, the parts were very expensive. Personal computers were not available to anyone but large companies and millionaires. In 1982, the year of Ralph and Felix's game, most computers were the size of a small cabinet. Small ones like the Radio Shack TRS-80, the Commodore 64, and the Apple IIc were just getting started, and they were horribly expensive and limited by today's standard.

The late '70s saw the 1st and 2nd generation games. These were one color, and had limited movement; usually just a left/right, and a 'fire' button. Battle Zone, Space Invaders, Pong… all had limited processors, and not much graphics to speak of. Now I call the first few generations "static" games. Games like Pac Man, Fix-it Felix, Jr., Donkey Kong… The entire game is played on one screen. That's how Ralph and Felix watch the players, and can see the arcade, and have knowledge of a larger world. Their whole life is spent on that one screen. Their code wouldn't have to be very complicated, or take much memory, because in those games, a character would only do a few different things.

The early to mid 80's, with 16-bit processors becoming available, and better graphics, brought on the 3rd generation rush. Games had multiple moving objects. Joust, Time Pilot, Centipede… are some examples. Color and movement were getting better. Some of these games were good enough to have a world larger than the screen. Think of RoadBlasters, where the world comes up in front of you as you drive, or _did_ before _Turbo_ ruined it. The players' controls hadn't gotten too fancy yet, but the 'Bad Guys' were starting to get better at targeting. There was more action going on at once. You had to think more to live.

Skip ahead a bit. An official poster for Litwak's arcade has "The 1997 Game of the Year… Sugar Rush." This is how we know Vanellope is 15 years old. Also, Sugar Rush is typical of a 4th generation game. The use of 32-bit processors, 24-bit graphics, and more memory could allow very large worlds in a game. There were still some limitations to compromise though. Although beautiful, and very detailed, most of Sugar Rush is static. Just displaying a forest, or a mountain, is less work. The processor 'horsepower' is saved mostly for the racers in their karts, keeping the movement smooth.

This "open world" concept of Sugar Rush explains a lot. Sugar Rush game play does not sit static in front of a screen. It is a 'point-of-view' game. The cameramen are focused on the karts chosen by the players and the track in front of them, which is projected on the screen elsewhere. The game characters never see out a screen at all. This is why King Candy / Turbo was the only one who knew who Ralph was. They were once next to each other. The racers and Vanellope knew about the players, but had never seen the arcade. Even the Avatars of the day were in front of cameras. Since Vanellope had never raced, she had never been an Avatar, and never got to look out. Racers talking would have been her only external information. Personally, I always wondered how she knew she was "West of the Whack-a-Mole". Writer's _glitch_?

Now we go forward to 2012. Hero's Duty gets plugged in. This would be the latest 64-bit, multi-core processors, with separate memory on 64-bit graphics. Everything moves! Hundreds and hundreds of cybugs at once, many characters running and shooting together, and characters that react to the actions or movement of the players. Calhoun, like most 5th or 6th generation characters, must watch the players' movements, and react accordingly. This would make for a very "smart" character.

This history is really condensed, and I leave out some branches, or short-lived experiments, like Laser Disc games, such as Dragon's Lair.

What my goal was is for you to understand how Felix and Ralph have long knowledge of players and humans, plus now, an idea of their own "morality", or limited code. Also, this is why Vanellope never knew any characters outside her game, or had ever seen the arcade.

We now return you to your regularly interrupted story. Darn! We missed them taking the train to Tapper's.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

As they walked down the hallway into Tapper's, a sudden thought occurred to Tamora. Touching Vanellope's shoulder, she said; "Hey, you've never been in another game besides mine before, have you?" Vanellope looked up and shook her head.

Tamora smiled; "Then let's make it fun. Close your eyes a second. I want you to see something." Vanellope put her hands over her eyes, resisting by a tiny margin the urge to peek, as Tamora guided her around the corner, and close to the second bar. "Okay, take a look."

Vanellope dropped her hands, opened her eyes, and… just stared. Still as stone, she looked out for the first time at the arcade through Tapper's screen. Rows of games, colors, flashing lights… And off to one side he saw the cabinet of Sugar Rush. She jumped on top of the bar to get a better look, which earned her a frown from Tapper, which slowly turned into a grin as Vanellope looked at the daylight coming through the arcade windows, with cars driving by in the background.

She turned around slowly and looked at Tamora. In a whisper she asked; "That's the world? The real world?" Tamora nodded to her as she spun back around, now looking here and there for something. "Where's Ralph?", She asked.

Tamora grabbed her by the waist and lifted her back down. She pointed off to the side. "His game is over beside this one. You can't see it from here. Don't worry." She pointed to a couple of stools. "Park it a minute. This seems to be the guy to ask about anything."

They sat down as Tapper stood in front of them. Tamora looked at him; "We're tired, thirsty, we got man problems, and business to take care of. What do you recommend?"

Looking from one face to the other, he rubbed his chin; "How about a nice, cool, very mild white wine? Keep the head clear." Tamora nodded, and Tapper wandered off.

He came back momentarily and put two glasses in front of them. Vanellope's was more colorful than Tamora's. She looked questioningly at him. He shrugged; "You're just getting used to new things. I mixed yours with just a bit of juice. A fairly large bit, I'll admit."

They sipped. It tasted strange to Vanellope. Sweet, but just a background hint of tart. In a land where everything is candy and sugar, anything else would be exotic. "Wow. There's just so much out here. I might never have gotten to see it."

Tamora looked at her. "I guess it's okay how things turned out. When Wreck-it flew out with that cybug I thought it was _Game Over_ for Sugar Rush." Tamora looked down; "I'm not proud about the fact that I was about to blow the tunnel to protect the arcade. I hope you can forgive that."

Vanellope was taken by surprise with that one. She reached out and put her hand on the Sergeant's. "I've had so much go wrong for so long, I just learned to keep going. I _always_ wished that somehow, everything would finally make sense. And now it does." Tamora's eyes shifted around to look into hers. Vanellope went on; "Right now the world's right again. Everything got… _goofy_… for a while, but the important thing is that it worked out."

She looked back out the screen to the arcade. "I'm free now, and no matter how strange everything went, it ended up like this. There's nothing to forgive anymore."

Tapper was very still nearby, afraid to interrupt. Vanellope looked at him. "Sir? Tell me about my Ralph." He walked over and filled their glasses again from a couple of pitchers. "Well, your Highness, not much to tell, even after thirty years. Quiet sort. Only been the last few weeks he's gotten restless at all." He looked at Vanellope. "Lately, he's been obsessed with _time_."

Vanellope tilted her head. "Time? Like age?"

Tapper nodded as Vanellope took a sip of her juic… uh, wine, her eyes locked on his face. "You've never seen the world before, but us old games have been here a long, long time. Ralph was restless because his game was thirty years old, and he was tired of people running and hiding from him." Vanellope frowned. She could identify with that, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Tapper tried something she could grasp; "Hey, on the day you were plugged in, there were people driving carts, right? Well the humans can't even drive until they're sixteen years old. New games don't see time like us. Every day is just a day, and they don't see anything change. Tapper waved an arm to the screen; "Only our games still have those."

Tapper leaned over the bar on his elbows, talking to Vanellope quietly. Tamora leaned over some to listen in. "That's what his problem is with you." Tapper continued, "He looks at you and sees a ten year old player. He just can't get the fact you're a fifteen year old girl. _He_ hasn't changed in thirty years, but he's going to wait until _you_ grow up." He stood up a little straighter; "And now that you're a Princess, he figures you don't need him anymore."

_Not need… why that dumb…_ "But… "Vanellope sighed; "How can I fight that?" They were all quiet for a minute while Vanellope looked for a loophole, a way to battle this war about _age_… or the lack of it.

"Excuse me, please"

Everybody jumped a bit. Vanellope looked around… and stared into a large, hairy, muscular chest. Turning a bit red, she averted her eyes downward. _Oops, wrong way_. She looked up into a bearded, concerned face.

"Hello, Princess." The large man bowed; "I am Zangief. I know Ralph. And this is Sorceress." He indicated a tall, exotic woman standing next to him. "We would ask you about Ralph. About Turbo still alive."

Vanellope was barely listening. She was staring at the Sorceress. Tall, with blue skin, long blue-black hair, and wearing a long red dress that clung to her like a thin layer of frosting. There was quite a bit to notice.

Then it hit Vanellope with the full force of just what 'grown up' implied. She swung back around and pointed to Tamora accusingly; "_Wait!_ That's not all _metal suit_, is it? That's… _girl!_"

Tamora was taken by surprise for once. "_She's really been locked away too long, hasn't she_?" she thought. She shook her head slightly.

Vanellope slumped down; "Then I might as well go home now. I knew I was _made_ to look like a child. I hoped I would get _bigger_… so Ralph… and everybody wouldn't have to look down at me so much." She sat up and waved an arm at the Sorceress; "But I'm never _ever_ going to get all… curvy… and _beautiful_!" She turned to Tamora; "And _you_! You're _brand new_! But _Felix_ doesn't have a problem with looking at _you_! And _kissing_ you… and…"

She looked down, her anger melting away with her dream; "I give up. I get it now." She looked at the Sorceress. "Is that why you're here? Do you want my Ralph? You haven't opened your mouth." The Sorceress shook her head slightly.

"Sorceress not talk too much.", Zangief said. "We are just wanting to thank you." He moved his arm, pointing to himself and the Sorceress; "In our game, we are Bad Guy, too. We know Ralph is not bad." Zangief tried to say it the way he felt it; "Ralph go do good things, right? Gets to be _Hero_. Save Princess. Kill Turbo. This help all of us. Maybe people not be afraid so much." He looked into Vanellope's face; "Ralph do good for more than just you. We help if we can. Anything Princess want… we try to do. Respect you. You _not_ a child. We see this. You are Princess. _BE Princess_!" He leaned over; "And yes, you are beautiful. We see you in gown. Verrrry beautiful. Ralph just slow like me. Take time to understand."

Zangief's serious face and what he told her caused a spark of hope to flicker again. She hadn't understood fully how the events of the past few days affected everyone in the arcade. But here were people who knew Ralph. If they didn't have a problem with 'the child Princess', maybe there was a chance. She smiled at Zangief; "Thank you. Both of you." The Sorceress smiled.

Zangief sat next to Vanellope. "Now. Tell what Ralph did, please." Tapper brought a round of drinks, and for medical purposes, the Princess's might not have had as much juice mixed in as before.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

During the next hour or so, Vanellope, with Tamora filling in some, told the story of Sugar Rush. The place was getting quite packed, since people who usually just came in for a quick drink stayed, mesmerized, to listen about the cybug horde, Turbo, The battle at the Finish Line, freeing the Princess, and Ralph. Finally, all the details were known and the questions answered. People wandered off to their own seats, or to go about their business, everyone talking about this or that part of the story. Vanellope felt a bit drained. Zangief stood up; "Thank you. Thank you many times. We leave you alone now." The Sorceress glided over, and leaned close to Vanellope's face. Vanellope wasn't sure if the tall blue woman was whispering to her, or somehow talking directly to her brain. "You can do this." The Sorceress 'said', their eyes locked together; "He is yours. I can feel it. You will just have to make up his mind for him. Do not despair." She reached up with a blue hand and touched Vanellope's cheek. The touch was cool. The whisper in her head continued; "It's not always perfect. I see, but sometimes I don't _know_. Years ago I saw the fall of King Candy. I thought it was bad. I told nobody. I was mistaken. But I see you and Ralph, together. That much is true." Then she and Zangief left. Vanellope noticed for the first time that it looked like the Sorceress's feet didn't _quite_ touch the floor.

"Strange woman." Vanellope muttered as she turned to face Tamora. "Well? Time to go cause some trouble?" she said to the Sergeant. "I've probably held you up too long from your… _thing_." She ducked as Tamora made a half-hearted swipe at the top of her head.

Tamora stood up while Vanellope hopped down from her stool. "Yep. Let's do this. Because if we wait for them to figure it out, we'll be sitting here 'til Tapper runs dry."

Vanellope took one last look at the real world of the arcade, then the two of them walked towards the train.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo


	8. The Showdown

**The Showdown.**

During the walk and train rides from Tappers to Fix-it Felix, Jr., Vanellope got filled in on some of the player-character world. Tamora let her know that since some of this information was from her memory, she sometimes couldn't be sure how much was true. Vanellope was amazed at the human concept of 'school' where groups of humans went, for years and years, to slowly absorb code for what they would do later.

"You mean they don't know anything?" She asked. "How can they be so smart?"

Tamora shrugged. "Some of them get to be very smart. Those are the ones who build the games for us. But they're different than us. When we first wake up, we can play our game." Tamora looked at Vanellope seriously; "But we don't know anything else. The humans seem to just cram a little of everything in, then sort it out and decide later. Doesn't seem efficient, like the way we live, but it somehow works for them."

The slow Fix-it Felix train gave them some more time to exchange small talk until it slowed at the platform. Vanellope got out. There was the screen, and the tall building of Niceland. She looked over to the enormous pile of building parts; thirty years worth of wrecking. At the base was a single-story building. "That must be Ralph's.", Vanellope pointed; "But I sure don't see how he could complain about living in garbage. It looks nice."

Felix was walking around the corner of Niceland, with a happy smile on his face. They met near Ralph's house. Felix tipped his cap at them. "Good day, ladies."

He didn't get a chance to say anything else, because Tamora knelt down, grabbed his shoulders and kissed him soundly. Vanellope looked the other way, whistling and kicking a small piece of brick. She knew that Tamora was "testing" again.

"Gosh, Miss Tamora!" Felix gasped when she finally pulled away from him; "You… Umm…" He needed a moment to collect his thoughts together after that. Vanellope looked back and giggled.

"Look, Felix." Tamora smiled at him; "You've got to drop the 'Miss' thing right now. Makes me feel like an old lady."

Felix turned his pink face towards Vanellope. "Hello, your Highness… I…". Vanellope cut him off; "Nope. None of that here. I'm not _Princess _in here, okay? And where's Ralph?"

Felix pointed towards the smaller building as they started walking. "He's in there. Been a long night fixing it up…" He closed his mouth, because he didn't want to tell her they just built it that night. "Uh… lots to straighten up with just us guys here."

As they walked up to Ralph's, they could see him lying on the bed through the cathedral windows that circled the place.

Vanellope waved the others on; "You two go do your talking thing… or kiss some more… or whatever." She walked in the front door.

Felix waved Tamora to the apartment door. "Some tea? Maybe some pie?"

Tamora nodded as she had to crouch some to get through the front doors. Felix might be the one with the magic hammer, but she was about to drop a hammer of a different kind on him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope opened the inner door to Ralph's apartment. She looked around at the sparkling new home. She noticed her picture on the wall. Ralph lay across the bed, feet on the floor, on his back. She felt a bit weary herself, and glided over to the couch. "_I'll just rest here a few minutes"_, she thought. "_I'm still not sure how to get through to him."_ She lay down, thinking about what she had to accomplish here.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Calhoun's entrance hadn't been unnoticed by the Nicelanders. Eyes had watched, and once they entered Felix's apartment, several of them gathered in the penthouse. Along with the general talk about how she really was a tall one, and how scary she looked in armor and carrying a gun, the biggest topic was; "_How does this affect the game?"_ The Nicelanders, being simple folk, and having been through the worry of being unplugged after "The Ralph Incident", as they called it, now had characters from other games wandering about. _And who was that black-haired girl going into Ralph's new place_? They had watched the building of the second penthouse on the ground. It was pretty hard to ignore, what with all the banging and crashing. Personally, Gene felt relieved, since by his own words, he had promised to give Ralph the penthouse if he got a medal. That solution was fine with him.

Mary spoke up; "Well, just look at the tiny waist on that woman. I'll bet she could use a nice pie." Mary was the best baker, and she pretty much had one solution to fix everything. "We don't want to scare her off. What if she takes Felix with her?"

There was a collective _gasp_ at that comment. It was quickly agreed that Mary would bake the biggest pie she could, and a committee was elected to pick a group to present it to Felix's apparent girlfriend. It wasn't until then that they tried to remember all the things Felix had tried to tell them the previous days. It was all so confusing! A nice, quiet life for thirty years and now all this!

After the others had left, Gene looked around his penthouse. He had really not wanted to leave, even when they were going to be unplugged. He had stayed until the last moments. He tried to wrestle with new thoughts, something he had never had to do in his simple life. "Did I drive Ralph to do what he did?" Gene said to the walls. "Did we think too badly about Ralph?" He had never considered that Ralph was more important than any of the Nicelanders. Without a Bad Guy, it seems, you don't need a Good Guy. Or anyone else. Gene began to think about Ralph as an equal part of the game.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora and Felix were sitting on the couch, sipping tea from mugs. They had been talking about little things, and about the Princess, and Ralph, and the arcade in general. She looked around the spotless, neat apartment. Nothing out of the ordinary… tasteful furniture, very clean, and a row of medals hanging on one wall. That seemed to explain Wreck-it feeling he deserved some respect.

"So this is the whole game?" She asked. "It's so… quiet here."

Felix knew his game looked pretty boring next to all the chaos and excitement of Hero's Duty. He shrugged; "Well, thirty years ago it was state of the art. But I guess things change."

Then Tamora surprised Felix. She stretched her legs out, leaned back on the couch, closed her eyes and smiled. "Who needs all that change anyway? No 'bugs. You can relax here." At her game, there was always the threat of something getting through the perimeter. The area had to be watched and patrolled constantly. You might regenerate by the next quarter alert, but it wasn't fun to have body parts chewed off. For all her training and technology, Tamora could really appreciate quiet.

She was at peace, but there was still work to be done. She sat up. "Look, Felix, we might as well have this out right now." She sat up, and looked straight into his eyes.

"_I knew it_." Felix thought. He waited for the bad news. "_She would never be happy with someone like me_."

Tamora looked around. "Look, there isn't any easy way to say this. We come from two completely different worlds. We probably never would have even crossed paths if Ralph hadn't gotten the itch for a medal."

"_Here it comes_.", Thought the thoroughly depressed handyman.

Tamora stared back at him; "So we might as well start sorting out the wedding." She delivered this bombshell in such a matter-of-fact voice that Felix almost missed it in his misery.

He sat like a statue, mouth open, for so long she started to worry his code broke. She leaned over and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hey! Felix! Snap out of it." "_Time for drastic measures here_.", she thought. She reached over, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and drew him in for another kiss.

Felix had his dazed expression still, but seemed to be functioning… barely. "But… I thought… us? Marr… marry… _married_?"

"_Just like any other bachelor, isn't he_?" Thought Tamora as she calmly picked up her mug for a drink. "Well, I'll give you some time to get used to the idea. I thought if I waited for you to come around, you'd still be calling me 'Miss' twenty years from now." She looked at him closely. "Okay, I know I could have put it better, but I'm no politician." She squinted her eyes at him; "Unless I'm wrong? Maybe you don't care about…"

Felix jumped up, waving both hands at her. "No! No no… no." He tried to catch his breath. "I'm… okay… but… I have to know why!"

Tamora sighed. "The Princess there. She helped me sort out what I can _trust_." She pointed a finger at Felix; "And you, my man, are real." She leaned back again. "And the thing I feel in my code is that I'm going to get married." She looked downward; "I can't say that's the best reason. But I can say this… you're the best choice." She looked into his face. "I've got some old, _bad_ code in me, Felix. But one thing I do know; you make the… bad stuff disappear. I won't let you get out of this that easy."

Felix took his hat off and dropped it. He sat back down beside her. "Well, Miss… I mean… Tamora, I guess I will just have to put up with being married to you then." He had a smile back. "You can't fight the code." He had a sudden worry. "But is it right? I don't want to take advantage of it… you… if your code… says _you have to_."

She shook her head. "Nope. Something feels right about it. This time, I don't want to fight the game about it." She took his hand. "Even from different games, it feels right."

Felix felt… well, there wasn't anything to compare it to. He got up to make more tea, smiling and humming to himself. His movements were a bit slow, since his mind was racing and bouncing around.

Tamora smiled as she watched him, distracted, almost stumbling around the kitchen, trying to appear normal. "_Well, he didn't tell me to get lost… so far, so good_."

She worried how far the code would let her replace the painful, but totally false feelings for Brad with the wonderful real ones for Felix? _Will it work_? _Will I end up hurting Felix in the end_?

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Something nibbled at the edge of Ralph's mind. He felt comfortable, yes. He was in a bed for the first time in thirty years. But this was something else. A feeling. A _presence_. As he came awake there was something else. _I smell chocolate_. He leaned up on his elbows. He just barely stopped himself from yelling as he looked towards the couch. Vanellope was laying with her back to him. Her head was resting on the arm, black ponytail hanging down.

As if she knew he was awake, she rolled over, stretched, and looked at him. "Hi."

Ralph sat up; "Hey, you can't just sneak around here anytime you want. You could get in trouble." His heart wasn't in the argument, though. He was glad to see her under any circumstance, and he couldn't deny that.

Vanellope sat up, pushing some hair out of her eyes. They were large. She waved at him; "Hush. Wait a second…" She looked like she was trying to remember something. "They're not there.", she said in almost a whisper.

She jumped up and started twirling around, arms out, and laughing. "They're gone! It works! Whhooo!"

Ralph watched this for a while. "Calm down there, Princess. What's going on now? What's not where?"

Vanellope stopped, facing him. She had a brilliant smile. "The dreams, you big goof." She walked over and jumped up to sit beside him. She didn't quite look at him. "Look… as far as I can remember, I've had bad dreams. About Candy, about being chased, the fungeon… just always." She looked at him then. "Lately I keep dreaming about Turbo laughing… and you falling… and I can't get there in time… and…" She trailed off for a moment.

She perked up quickly. "But with you, _they don't happen_! _Nothing_ bad." She jumped down and starting pacing around the room. "You can make me a room over there." she said. "Over by that corner. And I can stay when I can't rest." She looked at Ralph; "And… I'll make you up a room at the castle, right next to mine. We've got _tons_ of goodies."

Ralph stood up; "_Look_, sister. You just can't start… hanging around here. It's not… _proper_!"

Vanellope tried to look puzzled. This was not going to be easy. "And why not?"

Ralph fumed; "Because I'm… and you're… just a… and because I _say so_!" He waved an arm towards Niceland; "What's everybody going to think about that? About me… running around with you?"

Vanellope was starting to get a bit angry now. She put her fists on her hips. "Ralph, you doofus, you just don't get it. We've all been talking. Tamora, Tapper… even the Sorceress! Do you know there's a guy dating a… a… big yellow ball? With a pink ribbon?" She pointed towards the door. "There's a girl dating a _dragon_, 'fer cryin' out loud! And you can't go on about '_what others might think_' because _guess what_, Stinkbrain? The _whole_ blasted arcade already knows it! That's right! And every single one of them think it's just _dandy_!"

She deflated a bit, dropping her arms. "Just who do you think is going to care the tiniest bit about us… besides _YOU_!?"

Ralph sat down, straight to the floor. _It's true, maybe_, he thought. He looked up; "I… don't want you to go away. I can't quite think about you like… _that_. But you make me happy." Ralph looked very sad by then. "I can't fight you anymore. I don't want to. Felix said you're smart enough for the both of us."

He gave a small smile; "Blast you… I can't be angry with you even when I want to anymore."

Vanellope walked over to where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She hopped up on his raised knee. "That's right. You can't get mad at me no matter what I do. You just remember that from now on, and we'll get along fine."

She leaped at him, grabbing him around the neck. His hands came up and caught her. She sat back in those hands, and looked into his eyes. "That's what I need, Ralph. Been too scared. You won't hurt me, and you won't let anything else hurt me. You _can't_ leave me alone again." She used her ultimate weapon. Her eyes couldn't get any larger as they stared into his.

"You almost _died_ for me, Ralph. Why is it so hard to _love_ me?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora sat on the couch, when she heard the _crash_ of some dish, followed by the chime of Felix fixing it. She sighed and got up, walking over to the kitchen. "We have to do something about these doors." She remarked, bending over to enter. Felix was quiet. He was standing at the counter, as if he were trying to memorize something on the wall.

She knelt down, sitting on her feet, hands resting on her knees. "Look, if you're really _that_ upset about it, we can jus…"

Felix whirled around. "No! Umm… that's not it." He scratched his head. "I mean… well… I'd marry you tomorrow. Even today." His brain couldn't keep up with his heart. "It's just… when you came in here, I was sure you were going to leave. Forever. I couldn't figure out how you liked me in the first place. Ralph… Ralph thinks it's because I'm different than… the others in your game."

Felix stepped over and stood in front of her. They were almost eye to eye; "Instead… you gave me everything. You're amazing." Then he looked down. "But I can't stop worrying that you'll change your mind one day. That I'm too different. I'm no soldier… I can't even use one of those guns." He chanced looking into those big, blue eyes again; "And when everybody was fighting, when Ralph… jumped… I couldn't do anything to help anybody. Vanellope would have died and I just _stood_ _there_."

Tamora surprised him with her smile. She reached out and rubbed a hand along his cheek. "Don't you understand yet? Anyone can fire a gun. I'll teach you. But I haven't been around long, you know. I'm sorry if I'm rude, but it's all I've known." She reached and held his hand. "You… you're polite… _too polite_ sometimes, but you stick to your own rules better than any of my troops."

She looked around the apartment. "And you live in a world where things can be calm, and relaxed. I live my game well, but that's not the life I want _all_ the time." She was holding both of his hands in hers. "This is what I want, Felix. _This_ is what I need. And that means you."

She released his hands and stood almost straight. "I can't make it any clearer than that. I don't know what you think of me about it." She went to go sit back down. "But another cup of tea would be nice if it can quit sounding like Wreck-it's in there."

"Ralph said that all along." Felix said to her back. Tamora stopped and turned, her head tilted and the question in her eyes. Felix went on; "That's what started this whole thing. He was tired of being thought of as only Bad. He wanted a little respect for doing his job well all these years, even if it was destroying things." Felix seemed to have bags under his eyes. "When I saw him set off the mountain to save Miss Vanellope, it wasn't until that moment that I knew how good a person he really was."

Then Felix looked up at her and smiled. "Ralph tried to get me to understand that the game we live and the person we are can be different. I took thirty years to get that with him. I'm sure not going to waste that time with you." He turned back to the kitchen. "Snacks and drinks in a minute. Sit down and relax your back a bit." He looked up. "I wonder if I can fix the ceiling higher in here?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph closed his eyes. "It's not that at all." He was mumbling softly. "It's too easy to love you." He opened his eyes again, staring into the huge, hazel ones of Vanellope. "I wasn't being noble or anything. I was going to _die_ because I was _stupid_. I brought the bugs in the first place… because I wanted a stupid _medal_. I smashed your cart because I was too stupid to figure out Candy was lying." He sighed. "Everything came down to one truth at the very end. _You_ would die because _I_ was _stupid_."

He stared down at her feet, afraid to look at her. "So I did the only thing I could do to make it right. So that the last thought anybody had wouldn't be about how stupid I was."

He went on; "And now… you're Princess… and you have everyone in the whole arcade to love you… and I'll still just be smelly old stupid… me." He chanced looking in her eyes again. "And one day… you'll wake up and know that."

What he expected to see in her was disappointment, but not the reaction he got…

"Geez!" Vanellope burst out; "I can't _believe_ you people. First _Tamora_ and her high and mighty _guilt_, and now _you_!" She stood up, one foot in each of Ralph's huge hands. She reached out and grabbed his nose in her fist to keep him from looking away. "Maybe the two of you should get together… you're both such… _stinkbrains_!" She reached out and grabbed his ears. This put her eyes about an inch from his.

"I don't care what you did… or why you did it! I don't care that Tamora almost did this, or you almost did that. What matters is that it's _over_! Turbo was trying to get rid of me forever!"

She released his ears and sat down again. "All those years I was trapped. The only stupid thing is you _arguing_ about it. And _here_! In your game! Where I would never have _lived_ to see if you hadn't been so _stupid_!"

She wound down. She looked down at her own feet now. In a small voice she said, "And you haven't blamed me once about that medal."

Ralph tried to take that in. "Huh? Why would I blame you for…"

Vanellope broke in; "Because I didn't care about you! I took the medal and _laughed_… while you _begged_ me for it! Now you think I'm all nice and sweet and too _good_ for you!" Tears started running down her cheeks. "But you're wrong. You didn't mean to bring the bugs. You thought you were protecting me when you smashed my cart." She stared intently at him with her wet eyes. "But I knew exactly what I was doing. I was the Bad Guy. You had your medal and almost died because of me."

They stared at each other quietly for some time. There was the occasional _sniff_ from Vanellope, and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

Ralph broke the silence. "We're some pair, aren't we? So many people have fights because they blame each other. We're fighting because we're blaming ourselves. This can't be what people do. It shouldn't be so… hard to figure out."

He pointed a finger at her. "But you've got more _smart_. I know my limits… now."

Vanellope _sniffed_ and tried on a smile. "The Sorceress said I would have to make up your mind for you, you know. So did Tamora."

Ralph smiled back. "You women all stick together anyway."

Vanellope stood up and grabbed his ears again. This time she kissed him softly on the lips. And there was the smell of chocolate. She looked in his eyes, and said; "Now. Where's the powder room? I need to wash my face and we can go see how Felix is taking his news."

Distracted, he sort of waved to the back of the apartment. He would never hate chocolate again.

"Wait… what news?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo


	9. Adjustments

**Adjustments.**

Tamora and Felix were finally relaxing a bit. They were just sipping tea, snacking, and filling each other in on what had happened in Sugar Rush. Tamora laughed at the part where Felix, trying to break out of the fungeon, simply made everything stronger.

"If Ralph hadn't figured it out, I guess I'd still be there." Felix mused. "I never in my life before gave him credit for having smarts. I guess you just don't know." He looked at Tamora "And what about Miss Vanellope? I know Ralph's kind of… _sweet_ on her. Do you know what her… intentions are?"

Tamora laughed again; "I don't think there's going to be a problem with them. She's goo-goo eyed over Wreck-it. Her _intentions_, I think, are to wrap him around her little finger. And I know her. She won't take no for an answer, and she's tough enough even for _him_. She's going to brand him and he's going to know it."

She swung around. "Change of subject. Our town is pretty… run down. I thought about you maybe fixing a few things up for us." She leaned over and stared into Felix's eyes. "Things like the church. You know, where _weddings_ happen." _Maybe this would exorcize her demons. _"Nice shade of pink there, Felix."

"Gosh" Felix was barely able to breathe. "I'll be glad too." _Why is it that I think Ralph isn't the only one getting wrapped around a little finger?_ He thought; "_But I like it_."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph was still frozen in thought when Vanellope skipped back out. His code had a hard time absorbing new things. He needed time to _think_… to decide what to do.

But Vanellope was figuring that out. _She_ wouldn't give him the chance. She didn't want to risk him being all _noble_ again. She was the best thing for him. She knew it. Tamora had told her; "It's harder to hit a moving target." So she was going to keep moving.

She came up and leaned against his arm. She reached up and rested her hand on it. The arm that smashed the fungeon wall to get to her. The arm that snapped chains like butter to free her. The arm that smashed Diet Cola Mountain to… She shook her head to clear that thought away. She wished it would go away forever. But maybe… just maybe, that memory had a place in her heart like no other. It had proven to her what he would do for her. How much he cared. How had Tamora put it? Oh yeah... _"Talk is cheap." _ And that moment had shown her something, too. It had made her feel how useless life would be without him.

She tapped his arm. "Hello. Let's get going. All the good yelling will be over with before we get there."

Ralph looked at her. Her touch was little more than a warm breath. His brain was trying to understand all the new things he had never felt before… _gentle_… _kind_… _soft_. Things that had been as alien to him as the cybugs. The pieces were finding little holes to fit into. The code that made him so angry was still there, but now it seemed to be contained, to be separated somehow by the _new_ things.

Vanellope smiled up at his still face; "Yes, I'm beautiful. _Your_ eyes are _gorgeous_. But is there anything _behind_ them? Let's go!"

Ralph suddenly woke up… that is, his brain did. "What about Felix? What's this news?"

Vanellope laughed; "I'm not telling. It's a surprise. It sure will be to Felix." She pulled on his arm to get him moving. It had the same effect as if she had tried to shove the whole Niceland apartments, but it got the idea across.

As they went out the door, Ralph said; "I can't go in the apartments. I can barely get in the penthouse." He looked down at her. "You go on up. But what's happening up there?"

Vanellope thought a second, and then looked behind her. "Oh, wait! How about I go get them and we all go to your place? There's lots of room." Without waiting for an answer, she _glitched_ to the front door of Niceland. "I'll be right back!" She disappeared through the door.

Ralph wondered if this was the kind of confusion his life was going to be from now on. But when he thought about it, wasn't it exactly what he had wanted all along? Respect from Felix, friends, people to talk to… and then there was _Vanellope_. _That_ was worth a little chaos.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope came out the stair to what she thought was the right floor. She stopped cold. In front of her was a group of people. Several of them were carrying hot, fragrant pies. They halted, and stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Hello." She said; "I'm Vanellope. _Ralph's_ girlfriend. We're still getting all that straightened out, though. Nice to meet you. Where's Felix?"

Total silence. Vanellope looked at the collection of open mouths and wide eyes. She waved a hand; "Umm… a hint? Please?"

Gene raised a hand and pointed to a door just down the left. Vanellope walked over to it. She looked at the Nicelanders; "If you're visiting Felix, take all that down to Ralph's. We're getting together there."

She knocked loudly on the door. "Hey! Felix! Tamora! Everyone still alive?"

Felix opened the door. Vanellope could tell at a glance that Tamora had been at him. She hugged him. "Congratulations!" She said. Walking by him, she saw Tamora on the couch. "Hey. Ralph says he'll wreck the place if he comes up here. I say we just take the party to his house."

Tamora stood almost straight up. "Sounds okay to me, shortbread. I think Felix could use a little fresh air, too." As she bent over to go out the door, she spotted the still frozen Nicelanders. She looked them over. "A welcoming committee, eh? Well, come along, then. You can help us celebrate. Felix and I are engaged." She kissed the top of Felix's head. She headed for the stairs, looking over her shoulder. "Last one there's a 'bug's breakfast."

Vanellope noticed the slightly stunned look on Felix's face. "You'll get used to it, kiddo. Ralph will too."

Felix started; "You mean… you… and _Ralph_? _Engaged_?"

Vanellope shook her head; "No, not _that_. That could take _years_! I'm getting him used to _girlfriend_ first." She _sighed_. "Even that's a rough road to race. They sure made you guys _dense_!" She hooked her arm in Felix's and waved to the Nicelanders as they headed to the exit; "Well, c'mon people. Move your molasses!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph saw Tamora come out first. She put her hands in the small of her back and stretched. A few seconds later, Vanellope walked out with Felix. Then, he saw Gene, Mary, Don, and some other Nicelanders come out, carrying pies and pitchers of drinks.

Vanellope _glitched_ to his side and took his arm. "Just thought since everybody was visiting Felix anyway, we'd just have a little party." She turned him towards his door before he could say anything. Since they were ahead of the others, she whispered a little advice to him. "Be nice, Ralph. This could be important. And I want them to like us."

Ralph looked down at her; "I don't think that'll be a problem for you. But Gene has been really mad at _me_."

Vanellope held the door open as the others came up. The Nicelanders walked in, and stared around in amazement at what, with a few minor furniture changes, was a copy of Gene's penthouse. She and the others followed them in.

Vanellope used her Princess code to play hostess. Within a minute or so, she had everyone situated. The pies were sliced, drinks poured, and Felix even whipped up a pitcher of martinis for Gene. Tamora sat on the couch, so as not to tower over the Nicelanders so much, and ended up in a conversation with Diana about, of all things, flower gardens. Vanellope caused a reaction when she _glitched_ to grab a drink Don had knocked off the table. They had seen that outside, but it was still a bit scary to them. She smiled and explained how it was something from her game. "Totally normal where I come from."

Things were absolutely normal, which was unusual for this bunch. Don was hinting to Felix about maybe him building some more of these penthouses, since everyone envied Gene just a bit that he got to be the senior resident. Felix had to think fast, and told him there wasn't enough space for that, and that in a few years they would be covered in wreckage, anyway.

Gene had had a rather somber face this evening. Even a couple of martinis weren't improving his mood. When he walked over to where Ralph was standing, trying not to wreck anything, Ralph expected the worse. Gene stopped, and looked up at Ralph like he was really chewing on a tough thought.

"Ralph." He started. "I may have gone… a bit overboard with you. We found out we do… need… a Bad Guy to wreck the building. Felix tried to tell us, but we didn't get it." He looked like he was thinking about more, but stopped there.

Ralph figured that it was as close as Gene was ever going to get to an apology. He tried to ignore thirty years of being snubbed. He also thought about that for the first time, everyone else would have to adjust to him. He felt that he and Gene would never be bosom buddies, but he could settle for an end to arguing right now.

He was wondering how to talk to Gene when Vanellope stood on the couch and raised a glass of lemonade. As people looked at her she cleared her throat.

"People… all you guys from next door… I want to make a toast to Tamora and Felix. For you who haven't heard yet"; she looked over at Ralph. "They're getting married!"

Ralph's jaw dropped open, but really, he didn't feel too surprised. He had been thinking about those two, and Vanellope's vague hints that something was going on. The Nicelanders somehow already knew something, but there was a still lot of whispering going on. Diana tried her best to hug Tamora, but didn't quite have the reach. Tamora wrapped an arm around her and squeezed gently. She thought the small, roundly built Nicelanders were _darling_.

Mary waved at Vanellope. "But when is the wedding? I need time to make pies, and a nice cake for you." Lucy made a comment that they should have it in the penthouse.

Vanellope looked over at Tamora, who just shrugged. She turned back to the group. "Well… some of the minor details haven't been worked out yet. But they'll tell us soon."

Ralph came up and sat next to Tamora on the end of the couch. Diana had gone off for some pie, and Felix was standing nearby. "Married, huh?" He looked back and forth between the two of them. "I don't know what to say. I hope… well… it _works_." He smiled a little at Felix; "Looks like you were scared for nothing about her."

Tamora reached out and rested a hand on Ralph's arm. "Wreck-it, we've all been through a lot lately. Felix helped me figure out my life. And the Princess is a good friend to have. You and I didn't start off on the right foot, but… I'll try to stop smacking you." She smiled at him.

Ralph smiled back; "I think I deserved it enough not to be mad about it." He also remembered the beating he took while in Markowski's armor, as well as her anger in Sugar Rush. "Maybe I can stop needing you to remind me about things."

Tamora looked over to where Vanellope was mixing up another pitcher of martinis for Gene and Don. "Mister, I'm not going to be the one keeping an eye on you." She looked back to Ralph's face. "She's totally hooked on you. Don't disappoint me, Wreck-it. " She smiled. "Besides, you sly devil, you really know how to impress a girl. Jumping into a mountain of fire does it every time."

Ralph looked downwards and blushed a bit. "Yeah, we talked some. I don't know how it's gonna work out." He looked into Tamora's eyes. "My decisions haven't been so great. I guess I just need to let others help me." He looked over to Vanellope, laughing with Don. "She really is smart enough for both of us."

Felix laughed. "Sometimes, brother, I don't know if she's going to keep you out of trouble or get you in more."

Ralph looked over the group. "Uh, excuse me. I need to talk to some people." He walked over to where Lucy was pouring herself a drink. She looked up as he stopped beside her.

"Um, Lucy?" He wasn't used to asking favors from the Nicelanders. For the first time, they weren't avoiding him, and he didn't know if he was pushing it. "Um… well… with Felix getting married, I kind of need… well…" He gestured down his front. "Something… better."

Lucy suddenly understood. Mary was the undisputed best baker and cook of them all, but Lucy was the seamstress. She smiled. "Well, Ralph! You need some clothes." She looked up and down the huge man with a slight frown. "I never backed down from a challenge before. I'm sure I can make both of you something to wear." She looked over at the couch. "What about her? She simply _can't_ wear that monstrosity for a wedding." Ralph shrugged. Lucy wandered towards Tamora. "I've _always_ wanted to make a wedding gown."

The gathering went on for some time. After a while, all of the subjects had been gone over, and Gene said that maybe it was time to let them have some time together. With warm goodbyes, and hugs to all from Vanellope, the Nicelanders walked back to the apartments. They all seemed to believe that that girl was going to keep tabs on Ralph now.

The rest were relaxing on the couch when Vanellope flopped down. "Whew! Tough crowd." She looked around. "We'll just get the mess later."

Felix looked over. "Do you do this a lot? You were _amazing_." This earned him a sharp, but good natured, elbow in the ribs. "Hey!" Said Tamora; "You don't go throwing _that_ word around to _every_ gal you meet, do you?" Her eyes were smiling as Felix looked up. He winked

Vanellope looked thoughtful. "I don't know. It must be the Princess code. Something told me we needed to make them feel safe with us. Comfortable. They're worried it'll change the game."

She looked up at Ralph with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, I got loads of gossip! I also found out that Ralph's house wasn't here yesterday."

Ralph looked down at his feet. "I… didn't…"

Vanellope came over and stood in front of him. "Ralph, I don't care where you live. All I ask is that you… be Ralph. My Ralph." She looked around. "_But_, I will say this is easier to entertain in."

The talk went on through the night. This being the first time all four were together since Sugar Rush like this, there were questions and answers about who was doing what when.

Felix and Tamora had been sure Ralph was dead for a few minutes. They had seen him fall, and the mountain explode. They had no idea at that moment that Vanellope, grabbing a handy cart, had _glitched_ her way through the mountain at the last possible moment. Only when they saw the two of them had come out of the lake, laughing, had they felt relief.

Vanellope's big shock was the cybugs. She didn't know they even existed until the ground began erupting under her cart. Ralph looked sad at that, but Vanellope grabbed his arm. "Ralph, just remember how everything turned out. I just _won't_ have you being angry about that forever." She jumped up and sat across his knees. "Besides, you won't have time to be angry, not with us putting together the wedding.

Vanellope and Ralph wanted to go down with Felix when he looked over the town. Tamora was worried. "I had enough people watching for when she came down, but I don't know about too many civilians at once." At the end, she was convinced that it was safe enough, provided they were together, and didn't stray from the troops' protection.

Vanellope noticed the windows getting a little lighter. She ran over and looked out. The sun was rising, and the sky outside the arcade was brightening. She stared, hypnotized by the pink and blue streaks across gently moving clouds. Tamora came up beside her, then the guys.

"Wow." Vanellope muttered. "You see this all the time? I never see anything by my game. I just can't get over how _big_ the world is."

Tamora thought for a minute. "You know, kid, I just might be able to do something about that. Just like here."

After some more small talk, the girls decided it was time to leave. The arcade would be getting humans in it soon, anyway. Tamora made it final by bringing up Vanellope's game; "There's an éclair that's gonna get his shorts in a bunch if I don't get her Highness back. I'll wait for you outside." She and Felix walked out.

Vanellope beckoned Ralph lower. He sat on the floor. She jumped up on his leg, and reached up. He leaned over for her to hug him goodbye. She kissed his cheek. She said; "We can all meet at Tapper's tonight. We can get started on the wedding. Don't be late." She jumped down and _glitched_ out the door.

Felix was wandering aimlessly in the general direction of the front steps of the apartments when Vanellope caught up to Tamora, walking towards the train. "You know, if you keep kissing him like that his brain is going to stop." Tamora attempted to swat her tail, but she easily _glitched_ three feet outside her range.

Vanellope told her about that night's plans to meet. Tamora was going to have to help her out, because Vanellope didn't know that much about weddings.

They talked about it some more as they rode the trains. Tamora handed the Princess over to the pair of anxious guards, waiting at the station, and then went home herself.

Vanellope went to rest a bit and freshen up in the happiest mood she could ever remember. She had finally gotten the idea through Ralph's head. She was positive he would come around soon enough.

Tamora lay down a bit to relax. For the first time ever, Brad's death didn't haunt her thoughts.

Felix and Ralph sat down in their separate homes, both thinking the exact same thought…

"_Just what have I gotten myself into?"_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was a busy day at the arcade. Many players came by that day. Felix was jumping all day. Ralph could see that Sugar Rush had people lined up behind it.

About lunchtime, Ralph pointed out to the arcade windows. "Hey, Felix!" The human Mister Litwak was putting up the familiar pictures again. There was the picture of the old man. Wearing a red suit, black boots, and trimmed in white fur, the bearded man was smiling. There were the animals with branches sticking out of their heads. There were the colored boxes, wrapped in bright ribbon.

That meant the human Tree Day was getting near. During that time, there were more players than ever. And that meant that the only day the games _themselves_ celebrated would be soon after that.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After the long day, the all clear was finally given. Ralph and Felix both heaved a sigh of relief, stretched, and went home to freshen up.

As they walked to the train together, Felix looked up; "So, it's that time again." They both knew the routine. Which was that there was not, in fact, any routine. There would be days where the arcade would be packed with humans. There were days the arcade would be closed. There would be days with only a few players. There would be days you just wouldn't know what would happen.

When they got to Game Central, there were already lots of characters milling around talking. Ralph noticed that people seem to adjust pretty fast. After all the trouble just days before, nobody really paid much attention to Ralph and Felix walking across to the middle. There were a few waves, a few nods, but the one thing that Ralph noticed the most? Nobody was yelling and running away from him today. That was just another thing Vanellope was responsible for, he thought.

Standing in the middle, Ralph watching the Sugar Rush exit, and Felix watching Hero's Duty, Felix cleared his throat. "Ahem… Uh, Ralph?" Ralph looked down to see Felix with a wrinkled brow looking up at him. "I… don't know too much about this wedding… stuff. What am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do when we get… married?"

Ralph shrugged. "Beats me. You know me, Felix. Nothing like this has ever happened to us. I only know what Tapper told us over the years. It's like the human thing." Ralph thought really hard. "I do know that it has to do with one person. And then you're only with that one person." Ralph leaned down lower. "So I guess that means you really need to be sure that it's the right person." He rubbed his chin; "There's only been a couple of those wedding things here as long as we've been around. Calhoun's in the newest game here; maybe that's why she knows so much about it."

About that time, his attention was stolen by a rapid moving blur of green and black. Vanellope launched at him from a dead run. Ralph caught her as she hugged him around the neck as hard as she could. She was still a bit hyper from a day of racing. As she sat in his cupped hands, he could almost watch the muscles relax some.

"Hello there, Ralph. _Real_ busy today! Hi, Felix. Where's Tamora? Not here _yet_? Just let me catch my breath."

Ralph smiled. He knew she needed a little time to 'wind down' when she got too excited. Vanellope lay back in Ralph's arms, put her hands behind her head, and propped her feet on Ralph's chest. "Wow! First time I've been still all day." She looked like she was about to take a nap when Tamora walked up.

"Lazy girl." She said. "One day of work and you're tired already?"

Vanellope jumped up and hugged her. "Just waiting for the slowpoke to show up."

As they walked to Tapper's, Ralph noticed that a bit more space was cleared for them with the other two. Vanellope and Calhoun had obviously made an impression on some of the people.

They took the end of the last counter, the four of them waiting their turn. Tapper's was a bit busy with the arcade news. The two women were listening to all the chatter.

Tamora looked confused. She looked at Felix. "Tree Day?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Felix looked at her. "Oh, yes. It's a human thing." He pointed to Tapper; "He tells the story better than anyone.

Tapper walked over with a round. "Root beer to cool off with." He said. Vanellope grabbed hers. Another exotic taste for her.

Ralph said; "The ladies don't know about Tree Day, Tapper, and the others."

Tapper smiled. "New code, huh? It's something the humans do." He leaned up against the counter, Tamora and Vanellope leaning close.

"We don't keep time the way the humans do. They're crazy about keeping track of years. We picked it up from them some. So they have these special days all through the year. We never worried about it much." He rubbed his chin. "Remember how I said that humans _never_ regenerate? Well Tree Day is special to them because it's about the _only_ _human_ _that_ _did_ _regenerate_. He was so special that they all get together and celebrate the day he was born every year. He's older than the very first game, ever."

Tapper shook his head; "Can't figure out what the Tree is for, but all the humans put up a tree, and put colored lights and shiny things on it. Then they put presents under it. On Tree Day, they all open the presents, and eat big meals."

He looked at the women's faces and continued. "Never made much difference for us, but after Tree Day is the only special human day we celebrate. It's Copyright Day."

He smiled at the totally blank looks on Vanellope and Tamora. He went on; "When every game here shows its demo screen, it always has a year on it. The years mean a lot to the humans, and it's how we know how old a game is." He pointed to Felix. "Sometimes we know even better, like Felix's game was plugged in the day before Bird Day. But usually we don't know any more."

Tapper paused to take a sip of water. Vanellope was halfway over the bar to catch the story. He continued; "So the humans make a big deal about the number changing. They drink, dance, kiss, and generally act pretty stupid. And at a particular time, the number of the year changes. Everywhere."

He stood back straight. "So that's it. We have a big party on Copyright day, and everybody gets a year older."

Tamora laughed and nudged Vanellope. "So, munchkin, you'll be sixteen and I'll be… one. You old lady."

Vanellope thought for a moment. Then she looked over at Tapper. "Mister Tapper? When do humans get married? I remember you said they couldn't even drive a cart 'til they're sixteen."

Tapper winked at her. "I figured you'd wonder about that. Humans start getting married at eighteen, or after. It seems eighteen is some big thing for them."

Vanellope looked at Ralph with the face of a predator about to pounce. "Eighteen." She said pointedly, "Two years. I'll have to really remember that."

Ralph choked on his root beer at that.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

While the group was talking at Tapper's, there were other things going on. Several Space Marines were crossing Game Central from Hero's Duty towards the Sugar Rush gate. The three of them were loaded down with tools, cables, and two of them were lugging a large case.

"Hey, Smythe. What's all this for?"

"Something the Sergeant wants done for the girl. Won't take long." Smythe looked over at Collins. "Besides, why complain? We get out of Perimeter watch for a week after this detail."

The third man spoke up; "What's going on with her lately, Smythe? She's been hanging out with those others more. And what's with her and that short dude? I could squash him with one hand."

Smythe stopped and looked at him. "Look, Foster. I'm not going to question anything she does, and you should keep your mouth shut about it." Everyone knew her backstory. "If she's happy I'm fine with it. And if she hears any of _that_ talk, you'll be point man on level twenty _forever_." That was one of the worst assignments possible. The life expectancy of the first through the door on level twenty was exactly… zero. And it wasn't pretty.

They loaded into the train, which had them at the top of the Rainbow Road very quickly. Carrying the gear out, they looked out at the wide view, with all the colors everywhere.

"Holy cow!" exclaimed Collins.

Foster lifted his end of the large case. "Dunno 'bout this. Sure is pretty, but man, my eyes hurt."

Smythe checked the map Calhoun had drawn him. "Just down this road and to the right." He led off.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Their drinks had been replaced. Vanellope had her wine-flavored juice, and the others had beer. They were still telling bits and pieces of what had happened in Sugar Rush.

Ralph, trying to put it as an apology, told about the conversation he had with King Candy, when he had talked Ralph into stopping Vanellope from racing. They wanted the details, and Vanellope tried to make it less gloomy than Ralph was feeling about it.

She grabbed his arm. "None of that, Ralph. There isn't anything else to feel bad about. We _won_." She turned to Tamora; "So, when are we having this thing?"

Tamora glanced over to Felix. "Well I was going to give him some time to… adjust to the idea. Why don't you take this one, Felix?"

Felix thought about it. His choice? He made his final decision; "Why don't we do it on Copyright Day? The arcade is closed, and everybody will be celebrating." He looked downwards to the floor. "It's the happiest day here, and that would only make it happier."

Tamora pulled him over for a kiss, right in front of everyone there, many frozen in surprise. "Fine with me, then."

They discussed a few things about the event to come. Tamora told them about how Lucy had said she was going to make the outfits for everyone; "…because I sure don't have anything like that in my locker." Vanellope giggled at the thought of Tamora wearing her armor at her wedding.

As the night wore on, they decided it was time to head home, to relax some for the next game day. With Tree Day coming, more and more players were going to be coming earlier. Ralph wondered where they were all the other times. The time around Tree Day, the arcade was almost constantly crowded. Plus, it was open later at night. It was worse than those other few months where the arcade opened early every morning during the hot time.

Vanellope told Ralph and Felix about what Tamora had said about this _school_ thing, and how humans learned their code. Ralph and Felix both laughed at that. It was simply _too_ ridiculous to believe.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Space Marines found the Start Line in front of the stands. Smythe pointed to where the huge monitor was. "Right under there." The others put down the case that had gotten heavier this last part of the trip.

Collins and Foster looked up to watch a camera operator float by. Collins scratched his head. He looked at Foster; "Is this part of the _magic_ that the Sergeant talked about?"

Foster shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe some kind of anti-gravity. You don't believe in magic, do you?"

Smythe and Collins opened the case, and pulled out one of their biggest monitor screens. They lined it up under the game screen. Smythe broke out his test gear. Not seeing any wires or cables anywhere, he was trying to figure out how everything worked.

"Aha!" He got a reading. "Radio? All the cameras use radios somehow. Should just be a minute." He attached a small box to the back of the new screen. He began pushing buttons on it. The screen started switching views. The mountains… the Candy Cane Forest… There! Now the screen showed the arcade from the game console. Off to the right was the Fix-it Felix console.

Foster frowned. "That's it? She wanted to show the arcade?"

Smythe stood up and started packing away the tools and test gear. "Yep. Seems some of these games don't even see out. All _we_ get is the First Person Shooter screen. I brought up about doing this at our game after Kohut had me put in the station and gate monitors. The Sergeant said she owed the Princess here a favor."

Foster grabbed the empty transport case. "Well, at least the trip home is lighter."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The group walked out into Game Central. Felix got his good night kiss from Tamora, while the others looked elsewhere. Ralph started towards the Sugar Rush gate.

"Where are you going?" Vanellope asked. She was heading towards Fix-it Felix. Tamora and Felix were standing near.

Ralph scratched his head and frowned. "Now wait, there. You can't just…"

Vanellope stepped over in front of him. She had 'that' look. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked ready to fight. "Now just you listen, Ralph. We can have this out here in front of everybody, and they can see you lose, or we can go inside… and then you'll lose anyway. If sleeping near you keeps away the dreams then there is _no_ _reason_ to stop me." She relaxed some, and gave him the wide eyes; "Unless you just _want_ me to have the bad dreams."

Ralph didn't have an answer. He mumbled something under his breath about it "not being proper", but nobody was paying attention anyway.

Tamora waved and walked off to her gate, smiling. That girl was going to have her way, and the sooner Ralph figured out he couldn't _ever_ out-run her, life would be easier and happier for him. Every decision the little Princess made was good for Wreck-it, even if he didn't realize it yet. And they were good for each other. Ralph gave Vanellope _focus_ in her life. After all the years of troubles, she had someone stable, who cared about her more than his own life. A girl doesn't trip over that every day.

So the three of them went to the Felix train. Vanellope was asking Felix if he could build her a room; "Towards that back empty corner"; for when she needed to stay. "…and it'll only need a small closet… oh, and a dresser maybe. And a mirror."

Felix assured her, as they got off the train, that there were plenty of walls and furniture pieces to do this. Vanellope was only a few inches taller than a Nicelander, anyway. He promised to have it done the next day as he walked to the building.

Vanellope held the door at Ralph's. They went in, and Ralph stood there awkwardly. Vanellope grabbed one of the blankets and a pillow from Ralph's bed.

"I'll just rest on the couch 'til I get my room.", She said. She fluffed the pillow, jumped on the couch, and pulled a blanket over her, facing the wall. "And turn out the light, please."

Ralph stood there a moment. All he could see was her pony tail hanging off the couch.

Even though he argued about it… even though he told her it wasn't right… he still went to sleep with a smile.


	10. Changes

**Changes.**

The next morning, Ralph was awakened by Vanellope jumping up and down on his chest. She stopped when he opened his eyes and looked up.

She flopped down on his chest, with her head under his chin. "Geez, you're tough to wake up."

His arm came up, his hand covering most of her. She relaxed. This was what she wanted. She was totally safe from everything. Only near him did she feel really at peace.

But she wondered if it was _right_. Did she really make Ralph happy? Or did she want him only because of her past? For the first time, she didn't have to worry about the future. She didn't have to run… or hide. She had her game, and her cart, and friends. Did she really _love_ him, or just _want_ him? She needed to figure that one out. She worried that she was just being selfish; that she was clinging to Ralph only to protect her from the world… the same world that hated her so much over the years.

"_Was Ralph right_?" She wondered. He said that one day, she wouldn't need him anymore. Maybe the dreams would go away. She's surrounded by people who like her now. She's not trapped anymore. There were boys in her own game. Not very smart, but more… compatible.

But they didn't _think_ like Ralph did. He was a bit slow to figure things out, yes. But when he got something, it was carved in stone. When he believed in something, it was forever. And she wanted him to believe that way in _her_. She knew what he tried to do for her. She would never have to worry about his feelings. If she won him, he would be hers.

But was she trying too hard? Was she trying to win Ralph or _take_ him? Like a trophy… a prize, like beating all the other racers in the Random Roster Race.

No. She had to believe that it was the _two_ of them together that mattered. Two outcasts who had found the missing part of their lives in each other. She was the best for him. Nobody would ever make him as happy as she could. Not even that… _fluffy_… Sorceress. And no one could ever make her feel as safe as Ralph. No, she would never leave.

"You're wrong." She muttered, sitting up to stare at his face.

Ralph raised his head, stuffing pillows behind it. "I just woke up! How can I be wrong already? You've got to at least let me say something first."

Vanellope leaned forward, closed her eyes, and pursed her lips. _Take a hint_, she thought at him. After waiting an humiliating number of seconds, she opened her eyes and sat up. Ralph was staring at her, his eyes wide.

"Hmmph!" She said. "Am I _that_ ugly to you?"

Ralph worked his mouth. "No! But… you…"

Vanellope reached out and laid a hand across his lips. "Ralph, I wouldn't change for anything in the world. But I would for you if I could. I'd be tall and leggy like Tamora." She cupped her hands together in front of her chest. "I'd be all… round like those girls. I'd be that for you and nobody else, ever."

Ralph sputtered; "But… that's not…"

She laid her hand back over his lips; "Hush. I'd be whatever you wanted, if it would make you love me. But I _can't_ _change_. I dream about it, you know." She tilted her head. "I look in those big brown eyes, and I know you keep thinking '_child'_… or '_kid'_. And no matter how old I get, you'll never see me as one of those beautiful _women_."

She sat back up, her hands together in her lap. "So, you see? I've got to make you understand _somehow_ that I'm just as good as they are. Even better. That I can't _stand_ for you to think of me as a child _forever!_"

There was a considerable amount of very quiet time passing here.

Ralph finally spoke, almost a whisper; "This time _you're_ the one who's wrong. You are beautiful. You're smart. And your eyes are… more dangerous than Calhoun's gun." He leaned his head back; "And I know it's not fair to think of you like the human girls."

He looked up again; "But I'm trying. I saw last night, when all the Nicelanders took to you so fast. I saw Tapper's, when nobody cared. You're what your code says, and I'm trying to understand. Just like I'm always going to be big, and clumsy, and… slow to get it."

That seemed to be all Vanellope was going to get out of him this morning. She leaned forward. "So let's try this again." She said, closing her eyes.

Ralph leaned up ever so carefully, and gave her the lightest kiss. He tasted sugar, and smelled chocolate.

She leaned back and smiled from ear to ear; "See, that wasn't so disgusting, was it?" Her face was glowing, and her eyes shining.

He touched a thumb to her cheek. She grabbed his hand in both arms, and rubbed the side of her face against it. Stray hair fell in front of her face from the black tousled mass. She looked in his eyes; "Take your time, Ralph. Just… let me love you a little bit… okay?"

He smiled back; "Don't ever change your hair… or that perfume."

She stood up and stretched; "Well, I think we made some great progress here, but I've got to get to my game. The arcade's gonna open soon."

Before Ralph could say anything else, she _glitched_ to the door, waved "Bye-bye!", and left. She didn't want to give him a chance to open his mouth and somehow ruin the _beautiful_ mood she was in right now.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope drove up to the Start Line. There was a group of racers gathered around the screen. She got out and walked over. Rancis looked around at her. "Did you do this?"

Vanellope walked up. There was another screen. This one showed the arcade like one was looking out the front of Fix-it Felix. She could see Ralph's game, just over to the side. The sun was shining through the arcade windows.

"Wow." She looked around; "This happened last night?"

Taffyta nodded; "Gloyd said some big guys dressed like the blond lady came in and put this up. Nobody wanted to come out, 'cause they had those…" She raised her hands like she was holding a rifle; "things she killed the bugs with."

That explained it. Tamora had used some of that _tech_ stuff. She told the others; "Well, it's a good idea to learn things now that we're free again. It's not so scary, really." She leaned over towards Taffyta; "Besides, there's _lots_ of men out there." She looked back to the screen; "Time to get ready. Places, everybody!" She ran to _glitch_ into her Princess gear, stashed behind the curtain of the main stand. Some days she raced as the Princess, and some days she raced as Vanellope, and she felt pretty today.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was a typical day. The Tree Day crowds weren't starting yet. That would happen in another week or so.

The arcade schedule, besides the human special days, followed a pattern. There were five days of normal time. The fifth night, the arcade was open later than usual. Then the next day, that was the toughest. The arcade opened early in the morning, and was open well into the night. That was the day the characters were the most worn out. Then the arcade was closed a whole day. Then it started over again. Whatever the reason, it had been that way as long as anyone could remember.

There were a few players on Fix-it Felix that day, and a couple of them could have sworn that Wreck-it Ralph was smiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sugar Rush was pretty busy that day. Vanellope did have a few chances to watch Ralph. She _gasped_ the first time she saw Ralph kill Felix with a brick. "_That game's so violent!_" She thought. She frowned when she saw the Nicelanders throw him off the roof.

She had something to think about, now. That explained Ralph a lot. Now she knew why his code made him angry, and why he had wanted the medal. She felt she was really, finally getting somewhere with him. What could she do with this new information?

The paced and thought. She had talked to Ralph about how she had wanted to change for him, about how he thought of her physical body. That seemed to be his biggest problem. That made her angry just a bit, and jealous of the fact that the brand-new Tamora had no such problem with Felix. As awkward as they look, there must be something to all those lumpy girl parts.

But this was different. She was working on his _mind_. His code was smaller than hers, and was harder to… adjust… to new things. She had to find a place in his code for her to stay.

She thought about it hard. The _Princess_ code was useless here, this was work for _Vanellope_.

She remembered Tamora talking about _tactics_. She had said; "Sometimes a frontal assault won't work. You have to find a way to outflank it." But her Ralph wasn't a battle to be won. She wanted to win his heart, not defeat him.

What had she been doing? Sometimes she yelled at him. That worked some, but didn't permanently change his mind a lot. Being logical didn't work so well, or she wouldn't have such a mess.

What affected him inside the most? What made a mark on him? She thought some more. Maybe… just maybe… it was just being _soft_. Even though he seemed almost _scared_ of it, her touch could calm him down. She remembered that morning, and the touch of his hand against her face. She remembered the other night. His face relaxed more. His eyes looked more at her, and he smiled more… or at least frowned less.

His game was all smashing stuff, and trying to kill Felix, and getting thrown off the roof. Was it so simple? Somehow, that idea felt right. All those years of nothing but wrecking. Like his smile when they had built her cart. He just wasn't used to good, simple things happening to him, or people caring. Her own past helped her see what that life could be like.

That told her what to do, but then she thought of her other problem. If she 'fixed' Ralph, would he be hers? There are other girls out there. Girls that _look_ like real girls. She didn't just want Ralph to _love_… she wanted him to love _her_.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"ALL CLEAR!

Another day of gaming over. Felix came over to Ralph as he was going to his house. They discussed the building of Vanellope's guest room. Ralph scratched his head, and tried to figure a way out of it, but he really didn't want to, and they got to work.

So this was pretty easy to do. Felix and Ralph just had to pick out some wall parts, and some furniture bits, which Ralph carried inside. Felix soon had a fair sized room in one corner. Ralph couldn't get through the regular Niceland doors, but he shoved the furniture pieces in one at a time, and Felix fixed them. Felix was heaving a long dresser into place when Ralph's front door opened.

Tamora and Vanellope had met at the train. Since the guys hadn't come out, they were checking in. Vanellope loved her new room. She kissed Felix on the cheek; "Thank you! This is way better than that couch."

She went over to Ralph, and wrapped her arm around his hand. He looked at her as she smiled up at him. "Hi! Everybody ready?" This was the night they were going to Hero's Duty.

Tamora still was worried about Felix going there, more that was normal. The memory of losing her first fiancé there made her frightened for the handyman. But he held her hand, and assured her he would be fine. So the four of them set out.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

As they walked across Game Central towards the Hero's duty gate, Ralph looked over at Q*Bert and the others from his game standing around. Ralph thought about it. He was happy now that he had a place he could call home, but what about them? They had nowhere at all. He would ask Felix if there was something to do about it.

The train ride was quick, and they found themselves at the elevator. Everyone but Ralph went down first. Along the street were several heavily armed Space Marines. Tamora had increased the watch today.

As they waited for the elevator's return, Felix got his first look at the town area of the game. There were businesses, homes, apartments… some standing, some damaged, and some just a pile of wreckage. There were some of the civilians out and about. These people weren't carpenters, but Felix didn't see any problem fixing this up at all.

Ralph got out of the elevator, and they set off down the street. As they got to the main intersection, Tamora said; "I've got to check with security. It'll just be a minute." Felix looked over to the church. He pointed; "I'll just be over there." With several troopers in the area, including men on roofs, Tamora decided it was safe enough.

Ralph looked at Vanellope. He said "Go with Felix. I'll catch up.", as he followed Calhoun to her makeshift office. Tamora noticed this, and held the door for him as he bent over to enter. Taller than the Niceland apartments, but still a bit short, Ralph went over to the couch and sat down. The couch creaked as he settled down. Tamora went over to the desk to check the monitor, and see how the perimeter watch was doing. No one had better be slacking off tonight. Knowing Ralph wasn't here to keep her from being lonely, she looked at him. "So? Spit it out, Wreck-it."

Ralph was looking down at his hands, which he was twisting together, like he didn't know what to do with them. He was completely embarrassed, but this person was the one Vanellope talked to the most.

He looked up; "Well… you're a girl… and I thought… maybe you… knew something about them."

Tamora smiled. She knew how hard this was for Ralph, but she had to try not to laugh. "Well, soldier. With opening lines like that, it's a wonder somebody hasn't snapped you up long ago."

Ralph tried to recover; "I… just meant that…"

Tamora waved her hand at him. "At ease. I get it. You've got a Princess problem. And your pal Felix isn't exactly an expert on women, either. You figure I've got the inside scoop on your girl."

Ralph slowly nodded. He started to lay it out for her. "I just… want to know… why me? She's got the whole world now. It's nice she thinks I helped her and everything, but she doesn't need me." He looked back down at his hands again. "I'm just going to be a big embarrassment for her."

Tamora leaned back and shook her head. "I'd like to find who made your code and _slap_ them. I thought _Felix_ was thick." She leaned forward, and rested her elbows on the desk. "Look, joker, you've already done all the hard work." She looked at Ralph's confused face and continued; "Most women spend their whole lives wondering just how far a guy would go for them. You've already proved yourself. No other man in this arcade could _ever_ compare with you to her."

She sat back again; "Yeah, we talked. I don't think it's all classified. You treated her nice when nobody else did. You fought for her. She spent her whole life running and hiding, and then you show up. Are you trying to _blame_ her for wanting you?"

Ralph shook his head. "No! But that was… then. Now she can…"

Tamora broke in; "And now you think she can do just peachy without you, right? Look, I can't tell you every time what's right or wrong. I've got some code issues myself. But I'll let you in on this… that girl is completely gone on you. Head over heels. She's made it her life's work to make you happy."

She pointed a finger at Ralph accusingly; "And to me, buster, you shouldn't be making it so hard for her. She had nothing but rejection all her life… she doesn't need any more. _Especially_ from _you_!"

She narrowed her eyes at Ralph, sitting there trying to say something. "Unless, you don't care? You don't want her around? You don't _care_ for her _at all_?"

Ralph finally found his voice. "That's not it. I didn't even think people _could_ like each other like that. She scares me." He sighed; "But every day, it gets harder to think about life without her."

He looked down at his feet and mumbled; "Yeah… I love her. I can't… not love her."

Tamora took a deep breath, relieved. For a few minutes, it felt like Wreck-it was trying to talk himself out of it. She tried to make her voice as soothing as possible. "Then there's nothing to worry about, big guy. You've both decided, and now you just have to quit fighting it. And believe me, you give that girl a little encouragement and…"

The comm on her desk crackled loudly. A bright red light came on.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope tagged behind Felix. He was looking around, and decided to go into the church. As they walked in, Vanellope screwed up her courage.

"Um, Felix?" He turned to look at her. "Well, about Ralph…" She paused. What did she want to know? How could she put it? "In your game, he kills you a lot. Do you… hate him for it?"

Felix was taken aback a little by this. He thought about it. "No, I've never been mad at him. It's the game. Doesn't hurt at all." He continued; "These past few days have made me feel sad for him. I never questioned anything about our game. I never thought about how lonely he really was while I had all my friends." He smiled at her; "I'm glad he has you now."

Vanellope touched Felix's arm. "Felix… he _has_ me, but does he _want_ me?" She had to ask the hard question from the only one who knew Ralph. Her voice cracked a bit; "Do you think I'm just… _forcing_… myself on him? _Please_, Felix, help me."

Felix was a bit in shock at that question. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Wow. Miss Vanellope, he's _awful_ sweet on you. You are not forcing yourself on him at all." He lowered his voice, as if Ralph was in the room with them; "You know, we built his house the other night because he was so ashamed you would see him living in the dump? I've never seen him really happy in thirty years until now." He walked over towards the front of the church, taking out his hammer. "No… forcing yourself on him is the farthest from the truth you can get."

He tapped a shattered pew with his hammer. Fixed. Another. He walked to the very front. There was a trooper standing in the hole of the shattered window, watching. Felix waved at him, then tapped the edge of the stained glass.

The result was instant and beautiful. One second, a gigantic hole, the entire end of the church, surrounded by shards of broken glass. The next, a brilliant stained glass mural reflecting the sun, bathing them in colored light.

The trooper outside staggered back in shock for a second, then stared dumbly at the perfect window. The Sergeant had been right! The arcade _was_ filled with all sorts of magic.

Vanellope and Felix walked out of the fully restored church. He looked around for his next project, while Vanellope looked around to see if Ralph was out yet. She suspected they were talking in there, and maybe Tamora could straighten him out some. She saw something move. She looked up. "Uhhh, Felix? Are those… those…"

Felix pulled out his hammer, stared at it, and returned it to his belt. "My lands! It's the bugs!" He looked for somewhere to run to.

Radios began sputtering orders out. The Space Marines were raising their weapons… aiming… and fire started breaking out. The specks in the sky grew larger quickly. A few of them exploded as sharpshooters on the roofs opened up. Vanellope cringed as the volume rose, as more troops cut loose with everything they had.

Then the bugs were on them. One landed directly in front of Felix. Vanellope, her reflexes faster than thought after a life of running, grabbed Felix's arm and _glitched_ ten feet away. She was trying to figure out which way to go when Felix was snatched out of her grip. A second bug had grabbed the entire upper body, and was chewing on him. Vanellope was knocked down by the bug's body as it turned. The first bug, frustrated that it had been cheated of its snack, jumped over and grabbed one of Felix's legs sticking out, and the two of them commenced a tug-of war with the body of the doomed handyman.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Perimeter breach! Sector four out!"

Tamora jumped up so fast the chair clattered across the floor behind her. "Bugs! Felix!" She was pulling her rifle and charging it as she leaped for the door.

Ralph didn't pay attention to such things as doors. At Calhoun's yell, he had turned and smashed through the door, taking the frame and part of the wall with him. He stopped at the step, looking wildly around. Where were they? Calhoun on his heels, rifle raised, scanning the air.

Then Ralph saw them. He launched towards them. Tamora glanced at him, and then followed. The bugs were tearing at something. Ralph's brain was trying to goad his body faster. He saw Vanellope on the ground, he saw Felix…

"Felix! NO!" He screamed as he ran towards them. Several troops were trying to get a shot in, but afraid of hitting one of them. Ralph, at a dead run, hit the bug tearing at Felix's leg so hard it shattered. One of the snipers, knowing it was too late, shot the other. Felix's flickering body fell to the ground. Vanellope _glitched_ to him, and Ralph staggered over.

A few feet away, Tamora was frozen. He rifle fell from her numb fingers, and clattered on the ground. She couldn't see clearly from the tears. She felt dizzy, and everything seemed tilted. She didn't care. She stood and sobbed openly.

Ralph kneeled by Felix. Vanellope sat on the ground and cried. The flickering stopped.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo


	11. Frontal Assault

**Frontal Assault.**

Felix's eyes opened.

He looked side to side, and up at Vanellope's tear-streaked face. "Everyone safe?" He asked.

She froze, sniffing, her mouth open. Ralph, hovering overhead, was like a statue. Felix pushed himself up a little. "Himiny jiminy, that was not fun at _all_."

Vanellope's eyes were the size of plates. She stuttered; "You're… you… alive?" She turned to look towards Tamora, who looked like she was about to run away. "_HEY_!" Vanellope yelled; "Hey! He's alive_! Ya hear me_? _ALIVE_!"

Felix had pushed himself up on his elbows. He smiled and tried sitting up straight. He felt right bruised in quite a few places.

Tamora didn't quite grasp completely what was going on. Vanellope was yelling and waving at her. Something about Felix. No one ever survived being chewed by a 'bug. And it wasn't his game. She walked closer, everything still a blur. As she got closer, she saw Felix… standing up? What was happening? Was her mind telling her lies again? She saw Vanellope holding him steady as he looked around for his hat, of all things. He looked at her and waved weakly.

Felix raised an arm in self defense as a reflex when Tamora slid to a stop in front of him. Her knee had dug a foot-long ditch in the ground. She grabbed him by both shoulders. She was trying to cry and laugh at the same time, and the result was closer to a _cough_ than anything else.

She shook him, trying to decide if he was real. Felix looked into her eyes; "Gee, Miss Tamora, I told you not to worry."

That convinced her he was real. She clasped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder, now crying, now laughing. Felix tried to pat her back, but the armor made that useless. Besides, those bumps in her chest armor were squeezing the air right out of him. He finally put his hands on her shoulders and pushed back slightly. "Now. I'm fine. I told you."

She eased the pressure on him slightly. Pulling back and looking into his face, she was choking on her words; "But… how?"

Felix looked at the deep blue eyes, and the pain in her face, and couldn't think of anything. He put both hands on her head, and kissed her. For a long time.

It was quite long enough for Vanellope to recover and exclaim; "Alright already! You're fine! We see that. Save it for later."

Ralph had been scratching his head; "Felix, you just broke the only law of the arcade. They said it couldn't be done."

Felix finally quit kissing Tamora, and looked up at Ralph, smiling again. "Nope. Didn't break any rule at all." Tamora reluctantly allowed him to leave her arms as he stepped back to rub his leg where it had been gnawed.

He actually seemed a bit embarrassed. He looked around at the faces and tried to explain; "Well, I know Mi… Tamora was all worried about us down here." He waved his arms at his friends; "I couldn't think of any way to get her to believe I'd be okay. I can't shoot those things." He looked from one face to another; "Ralph can smash stuff, and Miss Vanellope can get out of the way plenty fast, I saw it."

Tamora looked intently at him, still wiping water from her eyes; "Get to the point, Fix-it."

The nail pouch on Felix's belt opposite his hammer was usually empty, since he didn't need many nails. He reached in, and pulled out…

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph was the only one who got it. "Ho! Genius!" He fell back on the ground, rolling with laughter. The shock of thinking Felix dead, then finding him alive made Ralph's laughter almost maniacal.

Tamora and Vanellope both had totally blank looks. Of all possible explanations, this made the least sense. The two girls looked at each other, bewildered.

Ralph got control, somewhat, and sat up. He and Felix smiled at each other. Ralph noticed the confused faces on the women. "Ahem.", he said. "In our game, When Felix gets a pie, he gets to be invobu… uhh, death-proof!" Felix was holding a half-eaten piece of Mary's special game pie.

Tamora looked from Ralph back to Felix, who was putting the piece of pie back in the pouch. Her emotions couldn't handle much more today. Her grief, turned so quickly to joy, now slid towards anger. She poked Felix in the chest with an armored finger hard enough to make him '_oof'_, and massage the spot while catching his breath. "Why didn't you _say_ anything? Don't you think I'd like to _know_ things like _that_? Like maybe whether you will or won't _die_ on me? _Huh_?"

Felix was feeling embarrassed again. He looked down, digging a small furrow in the ground with his work boot. "Well, I wasn't sure it would work, to tell the truth. But it's all I could think of."

Tamora's anger evaporated like her grief. She hugged him again, tightly enough that his face started turning red, then stood up and took his hand. She was still wiping the water pooling in her eyes. "Well, I think… we ought to take a break. The Café's open, folks, and I think I could stand to sit down for a minute. And maybe a large drink." She headed down the street, still a bit weak in the knees. She still had Felix's hand, and practically dragged him along. He wasn't getting out of her sight again.

Kohut, who had arrived with others and watched Felix return from the dead, walked up beside the two and tapped Felix on the shoulder.

"Mr. Felix… sir? You think you can get us some of that pie?"

Ralph reached over and scooped up Vanellope with both hands. They walked off with her standing in the crook of his arm, leaning back against his shoulder, with her head resting against his neck.

She straightened up and looked into the one eye on her side; "You were pretty brave, going after those bugs for Felix."

Ralph's heart had been in his throat when the warning came. Then he had seen her on the ground. He didn't look her directly in the face. He felt badly about himself, because if he had had to choose between Vanellope and Felix, it might have been Game Over for Felix. He whispered to her; "I don't know how brave it was, and I know you can take care of yourself, but you've got to quit scaring me like that."

Vanellope leaned back and kissed him lightly on the neck. "I promise. But you have to quit trying to get yourself dead, too, you know."

Tamora had never noticed the church.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They went into the little Café. There was some damage here, like every building in the town. Calhoun led them to a large table in the middle. While they sat down, Kohut and a few other troops sat down at a table along one wall. None of them had put their guns away. Calhoun seemed to collapse into her chair. Ralph sat slowly. The chair creaked ominously, but held up. Everyone still seemed to be trying to calm themselves after the short, but furious battle. Calhoun also remembered that this was the same café that Brad had proposed to her in. She reached over and squeezed Felix's hand. Unlike her memory of lies, _this_ fiancé was right here. And still alive.

A woman walked in. "So, what's it going to be?" She looked around; "Okay, how about drinks first? You look like you need it." Like most of the town, she had seen the battle from inside. 'Bugs getting in happened occasionally, but the civilians just locked themselves in and let the troops handle it while they waited for the 'safe' signal. And civilians _especially_ did not go after 'bugs bare-handed. She looked at Ralph closely. Everyone knew about the man who flew the escape pod with a cybug to another game, but this was the first time anyone in town had seen him. He looked like the kind of guy who could take care of himself. She went off to get them drinks.

She had stared at Ralph long enough for Vanellope to take notice. It was the thing she was the most worried about. Bugs and guns didn't scare her nearly as much as women. She watched the woman walk off, long brown hair swinging. She noticed the eyes of the troopers following her out. Vanellope fumed. It was so _unfair_. Despite her love for Ralph, she was having such trouble breaking through to him, all because of her code stuck inside… _this_. Now Ralph was a hero. Just like her becoming Princess of Sugar Rush, people don't run and hide anymore from them. When other girls find out that Ralph is not only extremely strong and brave, but a _nice_ man, what chance does she have anymore? Was she going to lose him to someone like that? That one was tall, her hair long and smooth, and she had big girly parts. How do you fight those… err… that?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Since the reset of Sugar Rush, Sour Bill and others had been straightening out things here and there. In the curtained area behind the throne room, he noticed something sticking out from a cabinet. Frowning, as usual, he picked it up. He knew what it was. Not being part of this game, it had not reset with everything else.

It was a napkin. From Tapper's. And on it were the instructions King Candy had used to get into the code. He hid it under some odds and ends in a never-used drawer. _This_ was too dangerous to leave lying around.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The woman came back into the seating area, pushing a cart filled with glasses, pitchers, and bottles. She put a glass of Calhoun's favorite wine in front of her, and a mug of ale went to Felix. She placed a huge mug in front of Ralph. Leaning over, she said; "I'm _Tina_. Anything you need, just tell me." She blinked her green eyes at him. Ralph looked back; "Thank you. I'm fine."

She walked around and put a tall glass in front of Vanellope; "And fruit juice for the little girl." She went to serve the troopers, who got tea, since they were on duty.

Vanellope stiffened visibly. Calhoun cringed a bit. _Uh oh_. Even the armed troops twitched. Not noticing, Tina served the troops, and promising food soon, pushed the cart down to the kitchen. Calhoun saw the flush creeping up Vanellope's face. Ralph looked over, forehead furrowed. He knew _something_ was going on under that ponytail, just not what.

Calhoun leaned over the table. She grabbed one of Vanellope's hands. She shook it, getting her attention. "Listen!" She said in a harsh whisper; "Listen to me, Princess. She's not like us. Remember that. She's not as smart as we are." Calhoun was trying to convince her that the townspeople, who were not major characters, simply acted their part of the game code.

Vanellope relaxed a bit, and looked at Tamora. She whispered back; "Maybe. But I don't think everybody is looking at her _smarts_."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The rest of the meal went quietly. They were finally relaxing after the rush of earlier. Large sandwiches were served, although Vanellope still smoldered after Tina had brought her a child's plate. That, together with the fact Tina seemed to hover around Ralph, filling his mug, and _touching_ him. It all looked innocent enough, just a hand on the shoulder, or leaning over him.

Felix, even though he was quite oblivious to such things, couldn't help but notice _something_ was happening. Miss Vanellope looked quite put out. He looked around at Ralph as Tina was leaning over his shoulder to top off his mug for the tenth time. He looked at his empty mug, which had been that way for a while now. Then it clicked. That pretty girl was making eyes at Ralph, and Miss Vanellope didn't like that _at all_.

He tried to sort it all out. He knew Miss Vanellope was sweet on Ralph. He knew she wanted to give Ralph the same honeyglow that Miss Tamora gave _him_. Felix had talked to girls before, but everyone had run from Ralph, as the Bad Guy, forever. Now, people don't think of Ralph as just the bad Guy. He has friends. He was running out of fingers to count on. And friends mean… girls. And girls mean… Miss Vanellope mad. Anything else? Oh, yes…

Fingers snapped in front of his face. Calhoun frowned; "You still here, Felix?"

Felix snapped out of it. He leaned over towards Tamora and whispered; "I think Miss Vanellope is upset with that pretty lady."

Tamora leaned over until their noses were an inch apart; "Finally noticed, huh? You think she's that pretty? You like that type?" She was baiting him, but she was smiling.

Felix blinked; "I… just meant…" Tamora leaned closer and gave him a quick kiss to shut him up. She sat back in her chair. Felix took the hint, sitting there with a grin.

Calhoun was joking. She could do that. And that was what was behind Vanellope's problem. Tamora drummed her fingers on the table. _She_ wasn't worried in the least about Felix, or his affections. She had confidence in herself.

But she understood Vanellope, and her insecurity. Tamora had been 'born' six foot tall, beautiful, smart, and tough. She had that head start of being written as an adult. She also knew Vanellope's story. She grew up in a rough life. Now, she was more mature than most of the characters of the arcade, who lived in total innocence of their own games, for the most part.

Then it occurred to her. Vanellope is frustrated because she feels people, and especially Ralph, look at her like a child. But it seems that Vanellope herself has problems getting past that. After all the characters she had met in the arcade, she was still hung up on the fact that she _thinks_ she looks too young to be taken seriously. But that was only in her own mind. Everyone else accepted her as just another person. Still, Tamora had no idea what to do, because she had never had to grow up herself, and her game wasn't old enough for her to be any wiser.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph was watching Vanellope out of the corner of his eye. She looked mad about something. He couldn't remember her being angry for more than a few seconds at a time. How could he find out what's eating her? That was a bad choice of words after this morning.

He leaned over; "This is a nice place. We'll have to come back here."

Vanellope looked up into his face, her eyes narrowed; "Oh yeah. I figured that." Her voice dripped with venom.

All right, there was something definitely wrong here, and bad enough that even Ralph was catching on. He turned fully towards her. "Okay!" He said; "_What_ has suddenly got you in such a… snit?"

Vanellope turned pink. She jumped up, standing in her chair to look straighter at Ralph. "_ME_! _Me_? You can sit there all day, getting all… googly-eyed with that… that… _hussy_! And then you have the…"

She stopped a second. She looked at his eyes. His forehead was carved with lines. His eyes were wide, and scared. His mouth had dropped open. His face was pale.

Vanellope finally understood. Her voice softened, the acid gone. "Ralph, you don't even have a clue, do you?"

Ralph blinked. He looked around. Felix was still, his eyes wide, and his mouth was pressed tight as if he was afraid to talk. Calhoun stared him in the eyes. She nodded, once. He saw her put out a hand, palm up, pointing to Vanellope. She was telling him; '_Go ahead.'_

Ralph took a deep breath. He looked at Vanellope. "I guess I didn't. I'm not used to people… not running. But that shouldn't worry you none." He looked down at the floor; "Because… you're the… one I love."

He looked up at her again. She was completely still. Her eyes totally round, the pupils centered on his face.

Ralph _sighed_; "I think I gave up trying to fight you some time back. I worry about what people think of me. I think what people will say about us." He leaned forward close enough to feel her breath on his face; "But the thing I worry about the most is you leaving me."

"Oh, Ralph, you big dope." Vanellope leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He cupped her lower body in his hands. Her face was pressed against his neck, and her body quivered as she cried. To Ralph, her tears burned worse than Diet Cola Hot Springs.

He looked over at their friends. Calhoun and Felix both had huge smiles. Ralph had finally admitted what everyone else knew all along.

Vanellope had progressed to sniffing, and wiping her nose and eyes on Ralph's shirt. She relaxed against his shoulder. "I think I'll just nap here. Can we go home?"

Ralph stood up, and announced to everyone; "She's had a rough night. I'll get her back. We… uh… had fun. We need to, sort of, do this again."

Keeping her steady against him, he walked towards the elevator. Several troops were in the area, all scanning the skies.

The trip home was uneventful, and Ralph, with Vanellope still settled against him, arrived at Ralph's. He knelt by the door to her room. She stood in his arms and kissed him.

She looked up; "I'm sorry, Ralph. I think one day one of those women is just going to take you away."

Ralph smiled; "If this week didn't do it, I don't think anything… or anyone can. Give me a chance next time."

She went into her room and _glitched_ into her pajamas. Ralph turned out the lights and went to sleep for a while. His thoughts were filled only with the smell of candy, and the taste of sugar.

Vanellope tossed and turned for some time. Being near Ralph kept the nightmares away, but not her own worries. Ralph loved her now, openly, _the_ thing she had fought for all along. That part made her feel all fuzzy.

But time will pass, and how can she be everything he needs as the years go by? What could she do about it? She finally dropped into a fitful sleep. Dark thoughts from deep in her mind came out to toy with her.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Golly, those two have problems." Felix commented. He looked at Tamora.

She nodded; "I think they might finally be on the right path now, though. They need each other, and they love each other, and they both know it."

She put her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in her hands. "A psychiatrist could have a lot of work here."

"Sy… key… huh?" Felix blinked.

"Never mind." Tamora smiled. "I think I figured out those two. Ralph has this hang up about humans and growing up. But we're not humans. And the Princess is worried about being a woman's code in a girl's body." She sat up, and laid her hands on the table. "And one, or maybe both of them, is going to really have to change how they think if they want to make it work."

She smiled, leaned over, and gave Felix a kiss on the forehead. "And maybe we just saw that change starting."

After everything else, the night was pretty tame from then on. Felix repaired a few buildings, starting with the Café they were in. Tina stood in amazement when she saw the pristine walls, holes gone, tables and counter like new, and even the scratches in the floor vanished.

She smiled at Felix; "You're quite the handy guy to have around."

Tamora frowned at her; "This one's spoken for too, sister.", as the two of them left the Café. It seems even she could feel just a hint of jealousy where her man was concerned.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph's nose twitched. It was sending his brain a familiar smell. He opened his eyes. He felt warm on his side. Carefully, he shifted his head. Stretched out between his arm and his side, head on his shoulder, was Vanellope. Her hair was a mess, but a gorgeous mess. He kissed the top of the tangled mass, tasting sugar sprinkles.

She stirred. Rolling slightly, she looked up, and yawned. "Good morning."

Ralph saw her eyes were pink, and her face looked a bit tired. "I thought you didn't have the dreams here." He said, worrying; "You said you didn't."

Vanellope nuzzled into his shoulder; "It's not those kind of dreams. It's… my dreams." She couldn't tell Ralph about those. She dreamed of Tina, and the Sorceress, holding Ralph. They laughed at her. Even Tamora was in there. She had sneered at Vanellope; "Face it, short fry. You'll never be a real woman."

She couldn't live like that. She couldn't spend the rest of her life just waiting for someone more beautiful to take Ralph from her. Ralph didn't seem to care, or even notice, but would it last? She had won Ralph, and that should have made her happy. But these feelings were still new to her. Being safe made her open to love. But love had its dark side sometimes. Like the envy of the beauty that other women had. The jealousy that it could be used against her. The fear that it _would_ be used. And the anger that she felt when she realized that there were levels she could never compete with them on.

She stretched again and sat up. She looked over at Ralph. He was still smiling at her. He reached over and mussed her hair some; "You're adorable in the mornings."

She leaned over and kissed him. She was thinking that these were the moments she wanted most. No excitement… just the two of them. She wanted to hide him away in Sugar Rush with her, where he could be only hers forever. She knew that was a bad thing to think. It was _evil_, as evil as Turbo. But even in the battle of Vanellope's emotions, she could never forget how good Ralph was, and that he deserved his own choices. But still…

Reluctantly, she got up and jumped down. It was time to get to her game. Light through the arcade windows meant that players would soon be around. She ducked into her room, _glitched_ into her outfit, brushed her hair, and sprinkled on some more perfume.

Ralph was sitting up when she came out. She jumped up on his leg. "Gotta go, Ralph." She kissed him quickly and ran for the door. She looked back; "Ralph, can we just stay here tonight? Just us?"

Ralph tilted his head; "Sure. I'm okay with that."

As she zoomed out the door, Ralph got up. He worried about her because she worried about… something. But what? Could it have something to do with yesterday? In typical clueless guy fashion, he thought that had been settled.

He went out to start another game day, still worrying.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next several days passed quietly. Sugar Rush was busy as usual. Fix-it Felix Jr. had slow and busy times. The word was getting around the humans about Hero's Duty, and there were often lines of players waiting for a turn.

They went to Tapper's a couple of nights. The girls liked to listen to stories of happenings past in the arcade, Which Tapper loved to tell, when he was not busy. Ralph and Felix half listened, since they had not only heard them many times before, they had lived through many of them.

Vanellope seemed more normal as the days passed. Ralph still worried, because every morning, he woke up with her lying on him. In his shoulder, sprawled across his chest, or on the pillows against his neck, she never failed to be there.

In Tapper's, they had a lot more friendly people than Ralph had ever seen. Tamora had said that anybody who was friends with anybody could be at the wedding. Since this had happened only a few times before, and some games weren't even in the arcade then, most were coming.

Tamora talked about how the town was in better spirits lately. Felix had been fixing up the buildings, and it was looking normal again. Of course, when players hit the level where they rescued the civilians, there was more wreckage, but that got reset every quarter alert. People were walking about more, too, Since Felix fully repaired all the rigged sensor and perimeter defenses. Almost no 'bugs got through anymore.

Zangief gave Ralph a bit of a scare one night. The four of them had been joined by a few others, all talking about the wedding and Copyright Day, and how busy the arcade would be soon. Zangief elbowed Ralph and said; "Felix marrying the tall woman is good thing. When you get married, Ralph?"

Ralph almost spit out his beer; "What? No way, Zangief. She's just…" Ralph stopped. He looked beside him. Vanellope was staring at him with a look between angry and about to cry. It was a quarter toss to figure out which would win.

"I didn't mean that." Ralph said; "I wasn't going to say it. You know how I feel about you."

Vanellope slid off the stool; "Yes you did, Ralph. And even if you don't say it, you think it. And when you think _that_, I don't know how you feel about me."

She turned to leave; "I'm going to Sugar Rush tonight, Ralph. I've got a kingdom to take care of. Good night." She walked down the hall to the exit.

Ralph watched her leave. He was confused, but concerned for her. He turned back to the counter; "Well, I just stuck my foot in it again, and I've got the biggest feet in the arcade."

As Vanellope walked across Game Central to the Sugar Rush gate, the Sorceress glided up in front of her.

Vanellope stopped and balled her hands into fists; "I don't need _you_ right now, lady."

The Sorceress looked sad. Kneeling, she reached out and took Vanellope's hands. That voice spoke to her head; "Let me tell you something. Listen. My name is Mishaela. Remember that."

Vanellope frowned; "Why should I care?"

The Sorceress sighed; "In the world of magic, having the true name of a thing can give you power over it. That is why so few know mine. I tell you because you can be trusted. I tell you because now you can trust me." She paused; "But listen. There are dark clouds blocking the future. Things that were once clear are not. They stay around you." She narrowed her eyes to slits, as if trying to see inside Vanellope's mind; "You think dangerous things. Dangerous to you and those who love you."

Vanellope was worried, but her frustration and anger put the worry aside. She gazed at the tall blue woman; "Then help me. Make it so Ralph will only ever want _me_."

Mishaela shook her head; "My magic cannot change the heart. No magic in the arcade can."

Vanellope tried another thing; "Then change me! Make me what Ralph needs." She held the palm of her hand flat far above her head; "Make me tall… and shaped like a normal woman."

The Sorceress shook her head again; "That would be just an illusion. What you need to change is inside, Princess. The body is just a shell for the spirit. To change one would be to change the other." She laid her hands on Vanellope's shoulders; "And you have no guide. You do not know what Ralph needs most, and you are afraid to look at yourself."

Vanellope sneered; "That's easy for someone with a big round… _shell_ to say!"

She stood up; "Look in the mirror. That is all you need to do to see what Ralph needs." She glided off towards her own game.

Vanellope continued on. As she got on the train, she really was trying to think about what the Sorceress… Mishaela… had said. She understood that it was her way to prove that _she_ wasn't after her Ralph.

As she got to her room, she walked over to the dresser. _Look in the mirror_. She saw nothing unusual, just a girl. She gazed closely, intently, trying to find the hidden meaning in Mishaela's words. _Nope, nothing._

And Ralph thought that _he_ was slow to understand.

Vanellope went to bed. Maybe the answer will come to her in her sleep.

But all she got were the nightmares.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	12. Outflanked

Outflanked.

It was strange how quickly you could get used to something. Ralph had not had a home, or any real friends, in the thirty years of his life. Yet after only a few days, he felt, physically, the absence of Vanellope in the morning. He never thought he would miss the smell of chocolate, or the licorice in her hair, either. Ralph had made her mad, and he had to fix it. He shook his head; fixing things had always been Felix's job, but Ralph didn't think a hammer would do any good here. He needed his brain, which because of his code, was the slowest part of him.

Which got him thinking about Felix… and Calhoun. They seemed to be doing just fine, and Felix was from the same game as Ralph. How did he do that? He was starting, slowly, to understand his own problem. Everybody accepted Calhoun as an adult and a leader because she was _written_ that way. Her game being only weeks old wasn't a factor. Newer games were _smart_.

Ralph looked down at his huge hands. They were monstrous compared to the rest of him. He had never thought that odd, or wanted to change them. That was just the way the code worked.

_Just the way the code worked_. The DDR girls were still teenagers. Q*Bert could never speak English. Ralph thought back on the decades of humans in the arcade. He thought of the changes they went through. In all of the games, though, nobody had ever had to cut their hair, or shave, or even trim their fingernails. Nobody here had ever had to have new clothes because they didn't fit anymore. A character was carved in code, and that's the way they were.

There it was. The center of his problem. _We get older, but we don't change_. He was accusing Vanellope of something that had nothing to do with her. And she knows it. After all this time, he was finally starting to understand her anger.

_Why does she bother?_ Ralph was aware of himself. He was clumsy, occasionally smelly, awkward… in fact, there was nothing about him at all for him to consider himself a 'ladies man'. But she was… interested in him. And more confusing, she was angry about others.

He had to accept her as she was. And the way she wanted, which he still wasn't sure what that was sometimes. Did she only want him around because of her past? Was it _Ralph_ she wanted, or just a big, strong protector against Bad Guys like Turbo? If he knew that, it would make a difference. He was getting a headache, which was almost impossible for a video game character, from trying to push his code past the limits of how it was written.

He finally came to the thought that made him angry with himself. If he was pushing Vanellope away because he was afraid she would leave, then she would. But he had to bury that fear, and accept her as she is, and hope. He just had a problem trying to think on two levels at once. But he knew one thing, and that was that he had never thought it possible that he would want to be with someone this bad.

He needed to talk to her. Today was the busy day, and tomorrow the arcade was closed. He would find her then.

He shook his head to clear it, and went out to get ready for another day.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope was sitting up in her bed. She was watching the brightening of the sky through the window. It's a good thing sleep was often optional, because she sure wasn't getting much lately.

Last night she had cried, she had yelled at the walls, she had screamed in frustration, and she had used a _lot_ of not-very-ladylike language. And that was in between nightmares of Turbo. There were pillows torn or tossed about the room. The covers were a mess. There were broken bottles on her dresser. Her hand hurt where she had hit something.

She had remembered the time as Princess before Turbo unplugged her code. She had been feeling very un-Vanellope sometimes. That code was part of her now. She had thought of them as two different people… the _then_ and the _now_. But it had to be the only way to explain things to herself. The Princess had all the normal arrogance of a racer, but also, she was spoiled. She had her own way, and always had the final say-so. Try as hard as she could, that new part of Vanellope was showing itself. She remembered the café. Ralph hadn't been paying attention to that woman at all. She had gotten mad at everyone because they went against her wishes. Fifteen years of not getting her own way, and she yells at Ralph, of all people, because he was… Ralph. She had to learn to control that. That's worse than her _glitch_.

She understood Ralph, almost too well. She was figuring out that Ralph wasn't interested in a woman just because of their looks; she had already made that mistake. Yesterday had told her that if any… female… had a hold on him, it was herself. That should make her so _happy_. But then it hit that Ralph had his own limits. He hadn't had to finish the '_just a kid_' remark for her to know that deep down, no matter what feelings he has, they still stop just short of what she needed from him.

Felix had no such problem, did he? After the bugs yesterday, Tamora couldn't keep her hands off him. Or her lips. And he sure didn't see anything wrong with that. So Vanellope kept coming back to the same place.

Could she do anything about it? She would change her code if she could. Not in any evil way; she shuddered at that thought. She didn't want to delete anyone, or take something that wasn't hers, just 'tweak' herself a bit. Just enough to sway that part of Ralph. That wasn't evil, that part should be her choice. Mishaela and her warning came to mind. She was a bit skeptical of all that hocus-pocus stuff. Even the Sorceress keeps changing her mind. But the warning did stick.

But how do you do it? There was only one known character that changed his code. And that one was a lifelong enemy. Also, there was the minor detail that he would be hard to talk to, being dead and all.

So as she got up to get changed, she was still trying to come up with a… _backup plan_, as Tamora calls it.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was a busy day fairly early today. The Tree Day time must be starting. No matter how busy they were, Felix looked happier lately. If that's what _love_ does, why doesn't it work on Ralph the same way? He remembered that Felix got over his fear of Calhoun pretty fast. Still, with all the problems, thinking about Vanellope did make him feel better anyway.

At long last the day was over. The all clear sounded, and everyone went home, or out, happy with a Closed Day tomorrow. Ralph hung around the train station, waiting for Felix, who soon bounced over.

Felix looked at Ralph's face; "What is it, Ralph? Miss Vanellope again? What would you still be fighting about?"

Ralph shrugged; "You know me, Felix. I can really put my foot in it." He scratched his head; "I know what I want to do, I just don't know how to do it."

They got in the train, and started out as Felix replied "Ralph, I don't try to keep up with Tamora. Her code's too fast. So I trust her. I still feel… funny… sometimes. But I guess that's what we need to do now."

Ralph considered that, and how Felix dealt with the difference. They exchanged some small talk as they walked across Game Central. When Felix was about to turn off to Hero's Duty, Ralph thought of something.

"Felix" Ralph knelt down so he wouldn't be so loud; "I've been thinking, and you're the one to ask… but… you know how Q*Bert and his bunch don't have anywhere to go? I like having my place, and I wonder… could we do… anything for them? I know you'd be doing most of it, but I'll try to help."

Felix thought for a moment, then smiled and snapped his fingers; "I saw something yesterday that just might work. Let me look at it. You'll have to carry a lot of stuff, but, yep, we can fix it." He set off.

Ralph felt a little better as he stood around in front of the Sugar Rush gate. Should he go in? Should he wait for her to come out? Then he remembered that a lot of their 'talks' had quite a lot of shouting in them. He decided against risking a public display and went in.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vanellope had run the Random Roster Race last night as herself, instead of the Princess, so that's who she drove as today. Her _glitch_ power was popular with players who used it properly. But every time she went near her cart, she saw Ralph's name roughly written on the body. _Only love_, she thought, _could make me so mad and so happy at the same time._ One day, and she missed him terribly. What would _forever_ be like?

As she pulled up in front of the castle, and went to her room, she wondered if Ralph would show up here, or if she would have to track him down. She was getting to the point where everything… every little thing… seemed to have some sort of hidden meaning. If she waited, and he came here, did it mean _he_ _cared_ more? Did she have to kiss him _first_? Should she jump in his arms or wait for him to come to _her_? Why does this feel like some kind of strange dance where both partners are afraid to lead?

But just in case it wasn't a total failure, she made sure to brush her hair and sprinkle on a lot of _eau de chocolate_.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph knocked on the castle door. It was opened by Sour Bill. Ralph half waved; "Hi cough drop. Ummm… sorry about… you know. I'd like to see… her."

Sour Bill screwed his face up at the memory; "Mmmm… I guess you'd better come in." he said in his droll voice. He had been up last night, straightening out things, and making sure all was in order. He couldn't help but hear his Princess's anger and sadness. He toyed with the idea of pulling the trapdoor, but it would be useless in this case, for the one person who could knock the castle down.

Ralph walked down the main entrance. The Royal cart, also the throne, was in place. Vanellope sat there. As Ralph got closer, she leaped out, started to run, but then slowed her pace. Their approach reminded Ralph of how many Street Fighter games started, both players seeing what the other was going to do first.

When he got close enough, he sat down cross-legged, like usual for their talks. Vanellope stopped a few feet away. Her eyes had that wide, fascinated look, and she was twisting her hands together. They both took a deep breath.

"You believe need want explain angry I what said please when listen want forgive sorry really want happen" They both blurted out together.

Vanellope sighed; "Go ahead, Ralph."

Ralph cleared his throat; "Well… I know I almost… No, not almost… said… "He closed his eyes "I'm wrong and I know it but I need your help to fix it because everybody else gets it but me." That last came out like one long word as he talked while his nerve held up.

Vanellope felt something inside unclench from around her heart. She wanted Ralph, with his old, slow code and all. But up until now, she felt like she had been doing all the work. That no matter what she did, he simply couldn't get past that one point. At least now, he admits he needs her help with that.

He went on; "Felix admits it. He said we can't keep up with you. He said we should just… give up trying to. He's happier with that."

He looked straight into her eyes for some kind of sign; "But I can't help being stubborn. It's not easy to… _change_. But if you want the job, there's nobody… no other… girl… I'd want to…"

He was faltering, but he didn't have to finish. Vanellope had just performed the most spectacular leap to wrap herself around his neck. No tears this time, just a will of iron. It might still be a fight, but this time, both of them were on the same side.

She spoke into his neck; "You really _mean_ it this time, Ralph? This up and down stuff is making me sick." Tamora had told her that love could be like a '_mine field_'. After explaining it, Vanellope certainly had to agree with that.

Ralph held her. He never worried about hurting her like that. It seemed he just knew how to be gentle with her. He had never had that feeling before, and he was still amazed that it had become a reflex to him. His mind _was_ trying to help, in subtle ways. The same with the fact that he felt calmer just _smelling_ her. The various sweet aromas she picked up in her game sort of blended into some sort of Vanellope perfume.

He held her slightly away from him to get a good look at her; "I just need to know one thing. I _have_ to know… why me? I have to know if I'm… fighting… for or… against something. I don't know how… to…"

Vanellope tried the _Tamora_ trick. She leaned over and kissed him. It worked as advertised. His eyes were open, but he shut up. Kissing seems to affect the talky part of a man's brain. It turns that off somehow.

"I… I'm not sure." _Neither_ of them expected that to come out. Vanellope tried to explain; "I can't tell you why I feel this way. It's like… all kinds of things all mixed up together. When we met, I just wanted to get in the race. Then, you started _wanting_ to help me. That hadn't ever happened before. I started feeling… _strange_… around you. I didn't know what to say or do about it, so I made you that medal."

She looked up at him. Her courage was leaving, and tears trickled down her cheeks. "And then you didn't leave when… everybody else did. And then you… and I _knew_ then I couldn't lose you." She looked down at her feet; "And that same night, I started having the dreams. Really bad ones."

Now she forced herself to tell her secret. She looked at him blankly; "I've also had the bad dreams with you, and you didn't even know." She _sniffed_. "I've hit you in your sleep, Ralph, before I saw where I was. Then I feel safe again. It gets better when I'm with you more."

Her voice was starting to choke up. "And I can't be grown up for you, ever. And I want to _so_ bad. And sometimes my code _makes_ me act like a child. And I can't stay away from you… and I've got all this… _mad_ in me sometimes." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then looked and and tried a weak smile. "And you still put up with me." Then she frowned. "But I _can't stand it _if it's only because you feel sorry for me. Because I don't want to be your… _sister_. Not to you."

Ralph took in all of that quietly. He was putting together the layers of her feelings. She was saying that she _depended_ on him. That was a big thing. And scary. And she sounded as messed up as he felt now. But then he thought that she must be right. The only solution is to deal with it together. Whether it was always, or that someday she would '_outgrow_ _him'_ remained to be seen.

He brought her in and held her to his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "How about cousin?"

She _snorted_, and hit him in the chest with a fist. "Ralph! Don't start me!" It had felt like she had hit him with a medium sized feather. The _mad_ just seemed to drain out of her when she touched him.

Ralph squeezed lightly. "Look, you, I've dealt with anger issues my whole life. I'm _the_ _expert_ on anger here. Tell me these things. It won't change me. You just be you. We'll get through it. We'll figure it out."

She looked up. "Ralph, my man, I need you to shut up again." She kissed him. She kept him quiet for some time.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora met Felix at the elevator. Since he had been fixing everything, the town was looking about as normal as it ever had. Houses, stores, streetlights, all looking new. People walking around shopping and talking. They were heading to one of the areas they had looked at before.

Felix was bouncing in a happy mood. He was with his lady, and doing what he did best, and lots of people were pleased. Life felt pretty good right now. Then he thought about Ralph and the fact that he and Miss Vanellope still had problems. He couldn't think of one thing to help them.

"Penny for your thoughts, Felix." Tamora had noticed the thoughtful scrunch he got when he was figuring something out. Felix blinked and looked up. "Oh… sorry. It's just Ralph. Those two just go in circles sometimes." He pointed at her; "How about you? You know more than we do about… _inside stuff_."

Tamora smiled; "I'll take that as a compliment, mister." But she knew what he meant. Fix-it Felix Jr. had code that didn't seem to leave a lot of room left over for new things. Felix was happy letting her take the lead, and she knew it. The little guy seemed to always think everything would work out. But Ralph now… she could read him. Felix had filled her in. Ralph had been taking whatever guff people dished out his whole life. He finally got tired of it. Good for him. And now, once in a while, he wanted to be the one making decisions. Bad thing is… he wasn't too fast on the upload. And the Princess seemed like she was getting tired of waiting. Tamora frowned. No, not quite that. Lately she had been more _possessive_ of the big guy. She was trying to take control more. But what worked for Tamora and Felix didn't do the same thing for those two. There was a huge difference between _given_ control, and _taking_ it. She was torn about that. Part of her said to stay out of it, that those two had to do it themselves. She had heard Ralph; he was coming around, although slower than Vanellope wanted. But the part of her that owed Vanellope big favors knew she would try to think of _something_.

They had come to the part of town Felix wanted to see. There were shattered rows of small townhomes. Tamora opened up the pack she had. In it were several large bags used for moving equipment. Felix had asked for a couple.

Felix took one. "I'll be just a few minutes." He said, as he set it down beside the wreckage. Tamora wondered what he was doing, since instead of using his hammer to fix everything, he was walking through the mess, climbing over piles of rubble, and… Hmmm. He was picking and choosing among the buildings. He'd pick up a brick here, a shingle there, a piece of wood frame, or a bit of smashed furniture. Darned if he wasn't whistling when he came back for another bag, the first zipped and about to burst. "Just a few more minutes, then we'll get these fixed up." Felix said over his shoulder. Plaster, bits of countertop, and pieces of appliances… one by one, the bags were full. _Then_ Felix pulled out his hammer. Tamora would never stop being amazed at the magic, because that's what it really was, causing whole walls, even buildings to spring instantly up.

Within half an hour, that whole block looked fresh as new. Felix came back to her. "Well, we're done here. I'm hungry now. Why don't we get a light snack?"

As they walked off, Tamora waved at the stack of bags they left. "Looks like a lot of work to just leave it here."

Felix smiled. "Ralph's going to get those. It was his idea. There are friends of ours that don't have a home at all. Since Ralph got his place, we thought we could help them. I've got a nice spot picked out. I'll call it 'East Niceland'."

Tamora should have figured as much. She had been programmed to always expect the worst. She wasn't used to looking on the positive side of things much. But he was different. This was Felix… _her_ Felix. There was nothing sneaky or devious about him. If he was doing something, it was to help someone.

"Okay with me. It would take half my men to carry one of those, anyway." They walked towards the main part of the town. "Are you sure you don't just want to gaze at that woman again? She's high-definition, too."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ralph was still sitting on the floor, leaned up against the wall. Vanellope was cuddled up against him. They had been talking about more general things for a while, letting the high emotions calm down a bit. Ralph had told her about the night Felix built his house, all because of the painting she had given him. She laughed when he explained he just couldn't let her see it sitting on a pile of bricks.

"That would have been something." She said "But you know you can always stay here. I made you a place, just we don't quite have a bed big enough, and… well… there's no furniture your size here. And I couldn't find you anything to wear… "She frowned. "But I did try. Maybe Felix can help."

She told him about the _President_ thing. The game's code still _demands_ a Princess. All the characters in the game don't call her anything else. "I'm trying to get the idea across, but it just doesn't work yet. Sometimes only the _Princess_ can get things done around here."

After a little more small talk, Ralph brought up that they should go find Felix. "He needs me to move some stuff for him, and we can all get together there a bit."

For a moment, jealousy flared in Vanellope, and she had to stomp it down. She was wanting to keep Ralph all to herself again. Going out anywhere meant another chance to lose him. _But he's not that way_. "Well, as long as you stay away from that girl."

Ralph thought about that comment. Still rather new to just the idea of _friends_, he tried to understand what she was thinking. The idea of someone actually being _jealous_ over him just didn't register. He couldn't think of a thing to say, so he just hugged her. She melted against him.

"I'm sorry, Ralph. I'll really, really try not to get so mad at you."

Ralph leaned down and kissed her hair. She leaned her head back for something better. "You're getting good at that, Ralph. Maybe someday you won't be so scared of it."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Rancis and Candlehead had been Taffyta's sidekicks forever. They were a bit less _nasty_ than she was, though. Under King Candy, they had helped with the order that Vanellope not be allowed to race, but not with as much of the active hatred that Taffyta had about it. To some extent, she had treated everybody like that. Crossing her meant trouble. With the reset of the game, they had been able to put more distance between Taffyta and themselves. In fact, for the first time ever, they had teamed up today to give that snob a hard time on the track.

So during their off time, they had become… more than just friends. For a while, it had seemed like Rancis and Taffyta were a couple. Then Candlehead had noticed they were together less and less. One night, Rancis had told her "She just doesn't care. She only has any feelings for herself. " After that, they had spent lots more time together. When Vanellope became the Princess again, the guilt of what they had done all those years haunted them. One of their places to relax and talk had been the kitchens of the castle. Besides being quiet most of the time, it had the best stocked pantry anywhere in Sugar Rush.

So they had been talking and snacking last night when they had heard noises from upstairs. It sounded like Vanellope was either very mad or being attacked. They had rushed down her hallway, stopping just outside the door. It was partly open, and all they heard now was crying.

Rancis tapped Candlehead on the shoulder and waved at the door. She slowly peeked around the edge. She almost cried out loud. The room was a mess. Vanellope was curled in a ball, hugging a pillow, and sobbing. Candlehead pulled back out from the room, grabbed Rancis's arm, and went back downstairs.

Back in the kitchen, they tried to figure out what it was.

"Oh, Rancis, you're so dense." Candlehead said. "It's a guy. It has to be. Only a man can cause so much trouble."

"Well" He replied. "The only one she has anything to do with is that big Ralph." He threw his hand in the air. "And it's getting tough just being around her! One day she's happy, and dancing, and singing… then the next she yells at us." He leaned closer; "She threatened to put Gloyd in the fungeon because he ran her off the track."

Candlehead was thinking, tapping a finger against her cheek. "Hush. We need to figure out what the problem is with those two." She was probably the smartest of the racers. She was more of the technical driver. Her cart wasn't the fastest, but she rarely made a mistake, and that put her in the front more often. She knew the limits of her code, and just how far to push them. She was also good at thinking ahead. She was running several things through her mind right now. Fixing this thing with the Princess and her guy would make her happy. Making sure that Vanellope knew it was them would get her favors. Like being able to put that pushy Taffyta in her place.

But they needed more information. "Look, tomorrow we can ask around. I'll bet Sour Bill knows something." She tapped the table. "Yeah. He has an ear in everything around here."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As Ralph and Vanellope left Sugar Rush, Surge popped up.

"Name."

They said together; "Wreck-it Ralph." "Vanellope von Schweetz."

"Bring any fruit?"

Vanellope shook her head. Ralph said "No, no fruit."

"Bring any giant bugs to eat everyone in the arcade?"

_Sigh_. "No, not this time, no."

"Where you heading?"

"Hero's Duty."

"Hmmm." Surge looked at Vanellope; "Do you promise to keep him out of trouble?"

Vanellope gave him her largest, most innocent eyes. They could melt frosting at twenty yards. She saluted. "He's safe with me, sir."

"Hmmm. Proceed."

Vanellope giggled as they walked off. Ralph fumed a little; "He's going to be worse than ever now."

She was holding his arm. She patted it with her other hand. "Just stick with me, Ralph."

They got to the Hero's Duty station. Vanellope jumped up and down, waving her arms in front of the camera. "Hey! We're here!"

"Go on down, folks." The elevator door opened. It was a fairly tight fit for Ralph. Vanellope sat on his knee.

Leaving, there were the usual troops on duty. One of them told them that the Sergeant and Felix were at the café. Vanellope got a tighter grip on Ralph's arm.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Calhoun's comm informed her of the arrival of the others. She took the opportunity to warn the café owner. "Look, honey, that girl's a Princess. She's just one of us. And if you get between her and Ralph, I am just going to sit back and watch the fur fly. Remember, she's older than you are."

Then she went back to explaining the town, and the people to Felix. "Well, everyone here has a backstory programmed like I do. We've been trying to get through to them, but they're just not that smart. There's people here who think their husband, or wife, or father… whatever… are dead or trapped in the lab." She sat back and rubbed her head. "Darned if I can get them to understand that we haven't been here for years."

Felix thought about it. "Golly, the new games have all that?" He thought about it; memories that didn't really exist. He shook his head. "I thought newer was always supposed to be better."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Not always, love. The more there is going on, the easier it is for something to go wrong." She looked up as Smythe entered, and sat down at the table.

Smythe nodded to Felix as he reported to the Sergeant; "Well, we found it. It's in the basement of the lab. If we go through the right-side door, there's no 'bugs down there." He leaned back and rubbed his chin. "But it looks locked from the inside. And that thing won't cut with anything we have. That plan may be a bust."

Calhoun frowned, and nodded. "Thanks, Smythe. Was worth a shot, at least to have a look. Dismissed." She looked back to Felix as Smythe left. "Looking to clean up the place a bit."

Vanellope and Ralph entered just then, and there were the usual greetings, and Tamora got a hug from Vanellope. The little Princess looked unusually pleased today. Had something finally gone right for her? Tamora also noticed a more concentrated look on Ralph's face. Clearly things had been said between them.

As they sat down, Tamora called out for drinks, while Felix filled Ralph in on his plans for Q*bert and his bunch. Ralph was impressed. He looked sideways as Tina brought out tea, coffee, and little cakes for everyone, but Vanellope seemed calmer today. Vanellope, anxious for new tastes, liked the coffee, but preferred it with about half a cup of sugar in it.

They exchanged small talk for some time. Felix had been thinking, and finally asked something. "When that man was in here, what did you mean about cleaning up? Is that something I can help with?"

Tamora shook her head. "Not for this." She had everyone's attention, so she might as well explain. "Here in the town, there's some bad code. I guess the programmers either didn't have time to finish, or forgot, or just changed their minds. But the edges of the town are… broken, I guess. And it can hurt people… permanently."

She took a sip of wine. "That was Smythe. He's the electronics genius. He's the only one who thinks he can alter it enough to be safe. And the bad air from the lab leaks over in here." She sighed. "And the 'bugs aren't supposed to be here at all, at least not until that part of the game. There's holes in the code. Even if he couldn't change it, he wanted to have a look at it. But the code's behind a door we can't get through, even to see."

Vanellope thought about this. _Locked door?_ She could _glitch_ through the side of a mountain, so a door should be no problem. She risked a glance at Ralph. And, _she_ might learn something about the code. Her bad ideas were starting to surface again.

She tried not to smile. "Ummm, Tamora? ..."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Rancis found Candlehead in the throne room. "She's gone, and with him. They made up again, so she probably won't be back 'til tomorrow." He eyed the Royal Cart with envy. "Why she insists on driving that ugly thing instead of the best cart here, I'll never know."

Candlehead joined him. "Okay, let's find Sour Bill."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	13. Conspiracy

**Conspiracy.**

Tamora had called Smythe back in. They discussed going in to look at the town's code. Ralph was more concerned with Vanellope's safety above all else. He had seen the lab, and it had scared him witless.

Tamora reassured him. "Look, the arcade is closed. There may be the odd 'bug that didn't see the beacon. But this area is unoccupied, and we'll have a full squad. Your Princess can handle herself pretty well on her own, and we'll have backup." Still not happy, Ralph had to agree it was as safe as could be.

While they finished their snacks, Kohut began outfitting the group that was going to guard them. Soon they were on their way. After they were all back at the train terminal, Tamora addressed them outside the landing area.

"All right, kids. This should be clear. _Should be_. But I want every eye open, and a perimeter kept on the civilians. Here we go." This last as she hit the open toggle on the landing bay.

As the door clanged down, there was the sight that was all-too-familiar to the troops. The sky dark, the air heavy with ash and smoke, and the wreckage of the landscape put everyone on edge. Troops fanned out in a half circle in front, ever watchful for anything moving. Then Tamora, with the others, followed by the rear guard.

Across the bridge, and down towards the lab, the trip was uneventful. Instead of going in the main lab door, Smythe led the group around the right side of the lab. Around the corner of the building was a smaller, heavily armored door. He worked with a small security box for a minute, and it slid open. Beyond it lay a harshly lit metal stairway, going downward. Smythe, Tamora, the civilians, and a couple of troops went down. Kohut closed the door behind them, to protect them from behind.

The trip down the stairs was quiet. There was the clank of metal soled boots, but other than that, everyone was listening for signs of cybugs. At the bottom of the stairs, it opened up into a fairly large room, with another heavy door on the other wall. There was equipment lying around, as there had been attempts to cut the door open.

Smythe knelt down to talk to Vanellope. "Okay. The door's about a foot thick. There's a platform on the other side. Please don't go too far. Once you're in, there will be a switch by the door, or lever, or maybe a wheel. That's it. Be careful, please."

Ralph's teeth were clenched hard enough to hurt as he watched Vanellope walk up to the door. She could feel his eyes on her. She turned to him, winked, and blew him a kiss. Then she faced the door, took a step, and _glitched_ out of sight.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Rancis had found Sour Bill in one of the hallways. Herding him back to the kitchen, the three of them were soon sitting at one of the small tables.

Candlehead pointed at him. "C'mon, give. We know you listen to everything that goes on around here. Vanellope has a problem."

Rancis spoke up. "Yeah. And if we can fix it, she'll be happy, and we can get back to normal. She'll quit biting our heads off."

Sour Bill had to think about a lot here. With freeing the memories, he remembered everything. He remembered Candy taking over, changing the code, and trying to delete the Princess. Being… well… him, and being concerned for the Princess's welfare, he had listened from behind the curtain in the throne room. And he had heard last night. He knew what she wanted, and he knew how to get it, also. He remembered everything Turbo did now. He looked at the two racers across the table. He knew that they probably had their own reasons for this. But, he also knew that the _code_ wouldn't let them do anything to harm the Princess on purpose. Just like Sour Bill himself, loyalty to the Ruler was part of the code. He _could_ believe that they would not do anything to harm his Princess.

Slowly, Sour Bill began to tell the story of Turbo, the code, and the problem of the Princess in love that wanted to _grow up_.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Oh my! Wow!" Vanellope looked out into the vast dark area that held the code for Hero's Duty. As far as the eye could see, and yet even farther, there were thousands, or hundreds of thousands of boxes of various size. Cables by the millions connected them into a glittering, beautiful pattern formed by the mass.

Vanellope tore her eyes away to look around her. She was on a platform. Behind her was the door, secured by a long, red-handled locking lever. Rubbing her hands together, she walked up to it. Grabbing it with both hands, and putting her shoulder into it, she grunted as she swung the lever up. There was a _clunk_, and the lever clicked into the top, the door opening several inches. She pushed it open. As she came into view, everyone in the room relaxed just a bit. Ralph unclenched his hands and sighed as he released the breath he had been holding.

Vanellope skipped up to Calhoun; "See, Tamora? No problem." The Sergeant nodded; "Good work, kiddo." Turning to Smythe, she waved an arm towards the door. "Okay, smart guy, take a look. But think of this as just a recon, unless you get really lucky."

Smythe grabbed his bag of gear and went through the door, Vanellope on his heels.

Calhoun grabbed her shoulder; "Just where do you think you're going there, sugar queen?"

Vanellope looked up at Calhoun; "Look, I can glitch anywhere. I can watch him, I can help! I can get him back here if anything happens."

Calhoun thought for a second. The short stack was right. This could be tricky. Grudgingly, she let go and watched her walk through the door.

Ralph came up behind Calhoun. He was slightly upset. "You let her go back in?"

Calhoun looked around at him. She nodded. "It isn't much of a risk. We know there's no 'bugs, or any other dangers in there. And I don't mind having some backup for Smythe." She even smiled a faint grin; "Besides, she really might help. She knows more about dealing with code than anyone here." Ralph was somewhat reassured, but still worried as he stared at the green hoodie disappearing.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sour Bill finished his tale. It was a bit involved, since he had bits and pieces, and places where he only had the Princess's emotions to describe. He concluded with his belief that Vanellope wanted to be older, and more of a 'big girl' for Ralph, who she loved so dearly.

Rancis shook his head. He couldn't understand how anyone could want anything outside their game. Didn't it have everything a racer could ever want? Why would anyone, and especially their _Princess_, want to go off with the huge smelly… He paused there. The big man did fight for her while they all ran. He did protect her from the rest of them. But _love_? Surely Sour Bill was wrong about that. He looked across to Candlehead. There were plenty of people right here. You didn't need to leave the game.

Said green-haired girl was thinking hard, her brow wrinkled as she tried to put everything they had heard together. So _that's_ what King Candy did. So she _loves_ the guy now. Fine. She can have him if it makes her happy. For once, her loyalty to the Princess and her selfish wishes happened to go down the same path. There was no conflict with her code on this.

She looked across the table at the others. "But I'm confused. What's this about being _grown up_? We're as grown as we're going to get, aren't we? What more can she do?"

Rancis pointed at her; "Maybe she means like the tall lady. The one with the loud voice and the shooty things."

Candlehead nodded. "Well, that's the biggest girl I've ever seen. But we don't know what normal is for…" she waved her arm at the air "out there." She tried to think. The one time they had left the game, it had been a noisy, crowded, confusing disaster. She couldn't remember much detail. There was only one option here.

She looked at the others with a frown. "Rancis, Sour Bill… we are going out to look at some girls!" The others shivered at this decision. They had to make sure Taffyta didn't get wind of this. Candlehead did not want that snob to take any credit for this one.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Smythe stood on the edge of the platform, taking in the grand view of the magic behind the game. He looked down as Vanellope came up beside him. "Really something there, huh, your Highness?" He looked back outwards. "This is it… the brain… even the heart that keeps us all alive."

He knelt down beside her, talking as he opened his bag and began looking for something. "You know, if I'm right about the rules of the arcade, even _you_ are out there now." Vanellope wondered at this as Smythe took out a pair of combat binoculars. Dialing up the magnification, he began scanning the near area for labels. He started with the larger ones, like the enormous one in the middle of the air in front of them marked _Lab Building_. It had hundred of cables running off in all directions. He sighed, since it was obvious this was going to take some time.

But off to the side, at the edge of the group, he saw three small boxes, each with only one input and output wire. He read the labels on them; the larger one was labeled _Wreck-it Ralph_. The two smaller ones carried the names _Fix-it Felix, Jr_. and _Vanellope von Schweetz_.

He lowered the binoculars, handing them to Vanellope. "I was right. Look just over to the left at that small group of containers."

Vanellope lifted the awkward field glasses. "Ohhh!" she exclaimed as she saw how everything seemed right at arm's reach. She saw the boxes he pointed out. She had an amazed look on her face as she lowered the glasses. "_Us_? That's _us_… in your game?"

Smythe smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is." He knelt down to talk. "So I got the general info from everyone, and especially that Tapper guy. There's a reason you _really_ die outside your game." He pointed out to the new containers. "That container out there is your _heart_, if you want to call it that. It's the real, inside piece of code that keeps you alive. When you go into another game, it goes too. You get connected with the game you're in. When you leave, it goes back with you."

Vanellope frowned as she tried to explain her life; "But I was a _glitch_! Ralph said that Turbo tried to _delete_ me! I couldn't leave my game!"

Smythe took that in and nodded. "I don't quite have all the facts, but that fits." He paused a second. "Look, the first rule here is that code cannot be created or destroyed. It can be changed some and rearranged, but the code is absolute. Turbo unplugged you, but he couldn't delete you… that's not allowed once the code is written. You couldn't leave because your code couldn't move with you."

He thought another moment. Vanellope bit her tongue to keep from interrupting him with a hundred questions. Finally he nodded; "And the rest fits, too. Only your own game code has the backup to regenerate you. That's why if you leave your game and die, you can't regenerate. Your game doesn't know what happened." He pointed out to the three small containers. "That's also why Turbo had to unplug you _inside_ your own game. If you had left, you would have taken your code with you."

Vanellope _sighed_. "That explains why he wanted to lock me up _forever_." Smythe nodded; "You get it, don't you? In your own game, if he had just killed you, you would have regenerated from backup completely normal again. So he had to unplug you, _and_ keep you alive." He felt sad for the young Princess. This Turbo guy was one sorry sack of…

"So what do we do now?" Vanellope interrupted his thoughts. She didn't like reliving those memories. She much preferred her new ones, like racing, and travelling, and especially _Ralph_.

Smythe took the binoculars from her and began scanning again. "I'm looking for containers for the town. If I can rearrange a few bits of code, we can make the town safe. Nothing much, really. Just a few road gaps, and things like which direction the wind blows. The most important is the barrier that keeps the bugs out of the town unless that part of the game is unlocked. That one thing would change life a lot for us."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Candlehead met Rancis at the top of the Rainbow road. He looked back to the castle sitting on the hill across the valley. "So, where's Sour Bill?"

Candlehead shrugged. "He said he had too much to do to get ready. I think he's just too afraid to go out there again."

Rancis gave her a forced grin. "Well, I can't blame him for that. I'm not thrilled about this, either." He reached out and held her hand, facing the entrance to the tunnel. "Let's get this over with, then. But let's just stay together, okay? I can handle it as long as you're there."

Candlehead broke out in a genuine smile. She pulled Rancis closer. "You know, Rancis? That's about the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

A short train ride later, and they were approaching the entrance to Game Central Station. As they slowly edged past the gateway, they relaxed somewhat at the total lack of reaction from the characters scattered across the terminal. A boy on a bicycle waved as he rode past. Several nodded to them. Rancis let his breath out in a _huff_ as he found they wouldn't be set upon by crowds again. He noticed he wasn't the only one worried, as he felt the feeling rush back into his hand when Candlehead relaxed her grip slightly.

"Okay." He said; "Which ones are the girls?" He was amazed at the range of sizes, and shapes, and colors of the hundred or so characters enjoying the day off. Most of the benches were full of people sitting and talking, with others standing around. There was laughter, and animated conversations all around as friends, old and new, discussed their games, a particular player, or the state of the arcade in general.

Candlehead poked him in the ribs, giggling. "Silly. How do you tell them apart?"

Rancis shrugged. "Dresses and long hair, usually. But you said the tall blond was a girl, and her hair's shorter than mine." He snapped his fingers. "Lipstick! Eyeliner! She had those!"

Candlehead leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Better. But look at that group over there." She pointed to the group of Street Fighter characters leaving Tapper's. There was one in a white outfit, a red headband across his forehead. Another was a tall character, long legs whisking out from a long oriental dress as she walked. There was another hairy, nearly naked man walking with them. They were all laughing about something.

"That's easy." Rancis sneered; "The one in blue's wearing a dress. Her hair's just pulled up into those buns. And girls don't run around without a shirt on… or with beards." He squinted. "Not sure about the other, though."

Candlehead was catching on to the world, but amazed at how dense Rancis still was. "You _dunce_! Look at her chest! When girls are really big and old, they have those! Haven't you been looking out that new screen to the arcade at _all_?"

Rancis looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "But why?" he asked. He held his arms out, pretending to drive. He made steering motions, while leaning his body about. "It looks like they'd just get in the way in a cart." He turned back to Candlehead. "The padded hips could be useful, though. Some of the tracks are pretty bumpy."

Candlehead sighed. She walked up to him and hugged him. "You know, Vanellope is right about one thing. Clueless boys are the sweetest."

Rancis hugged her back. Their faces were just a few inches apart. He looked down between them. "Besides, if you had those big lumps, I couldn't hold you this close. And what about when we…"

Candlehead put a finger in the middle of his chest and pushed him back slightly. "Shhhh. Not here." She looked around. "Now we need to find this Tapper's she talks about." They started down the center of the Station.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Smythe was scanning and taking notes in a small book. Vanellope was torn between the excitement of seeing the code, and the boredom of waiting for something to happen. With her, boredom won pretty quickly.

Smythe noted her being so restless. He finally put down the binoculars, and pulled out a long coil of climbing rope. "Okay. I'm curious myself. Ready to go out there?" He fastened the clip on one end to a ring by the door, and the other to a loop on his heavy belt. Taking a smaller line out, he fastened it around Vanellope's waist, and clipped it to the other line. "You just stay with me, now. If it's too scary, you can just pull yourself down the line back here."

She grabbed hold of his belt. He pushed off slowly towards the closest large container. It was a strange feeling to Vanellope; floating without weight in a large, open area. For some reason, she wasn't afraid. At least, she kept telling herself that.

Smythe reached out to catch the front of the container. It had _Church_ across the front of it. Vanellope floated off to one side as Smythe tapped it to open the front.

"Why the church? Is there something wrong with it?" she asked. She saw Felix completely fix the church.

Smythe shook his head. "No, not there. I need to find where it connects to the street. That's the road that we have to repair." He followed the internal connections around and around until he saw the one that said '_To Street'_. He followed that line to where it went off to one side. It ended in a container with dozens of others, which were all the other buildings on that street. Closing the container there, he lightly grabbed Vanellope's sleeve and slowly pushed to that one.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a fair amount of business going on in Tapper's, but they found a couple of seats together at the bar. Tapper came up to them shortly. "Hmmm. New faces, I see. Wait… you two were with the Princess during the riot. Pretty brave of you."

Candlehead looked around the place. "Thank you. Something to drink, please."

Tapper thought a second. He remembered how Vanellope had never had anything not from her own game before. He left and soon returned with a pair of tall, cold root beers. "Something mild to start you two off with." He dropped in a couple of straws, since the mugs were rather large for these two.

Tapper smiled as they both took a sip, looked at each other, then dove into the drinks. The mugs emptied pretty quickly. He refilled them, and they took their time a bit more now.

"Mr. Tapper?" Candlehead leaned over the bar and asked in a low whisper; "I need a girl for a while."

Tapper leaned towards her. "That's quite alright. We don't make any judgments here at all."

Candlehead turned pink. "I don't mean for me! Well, I do mean… but for… I just need to talk to one!"

Rancis snickered. He decided to help her out. "Look sir, the girls out here are different than our game. And Princess Vanellope just won't shut up about it." He frowned slightly. "We just thought we would try to figure out what's so different about them. We're trying to help her."

Tapper nodded. "I see. I know you've all been trapped there for fifteen years, but I still forget you've never seen the arcade." He thought for a minute. "But you know, there's not just one kind of girl out here. Just like you're different, so are they."

Candlehead nodded. "I get that stuff. But she's hung up on this _kid_ thing. She wants to be grown up, but we're not sure what she _means_." She waved towards the big screen to the arcade. "We've been watching more, and there's girls and boys in every shape, size and color out there. We just can't figure out what she _wants_!" She looked back to Tapper. "And she and Ralph keep arguing. But I can't help if I don't know what's bugging her!"

Tapper understood now. He gestured towards the next bar over, where the Sorceress sat, sipping something from a tall, slender glass. "See her over there? She's the Sorceress. She's a friend of Ralph's. Your Princess got upset when she found out that's what a lot of women look like." He looked at the two racers. "She's been having problems with Ralph, but it's not her fault. Ralph does have a hang-up about age. See, he's been watching humans grow up for thirty years now, and it's kind of set in his mind."

Rancis looked over at the tall lady. "Well, that's a girl for sure. Let's go, Candlehead." He looked at Tapper. "Vanellope didn't say anything about wanting to be _blue_, did she?"

The two racers walked over to the Sorceress, who watched them approach with a slight tilt of the head. Her inner sight gave her the impression of a hazy fog about them. They were planning something that may not be good for everyone concerned, but not dangerous… at least not yet."

Rancis spoke up as they stopped by the stool; "Good evening, Miss… Sorceress. Can we talk with you a minute?"

The Sorceress noticed they were both looking her up and down. She was used to that. But these two weren't looking at her like most did. They looked like they were analyzing her. She remembered the first time Vanellope realized how older women were put together, and what misery it caused her. She turned to face them, hands in her lap, and let them stare.

Rancis broke the awkward silence. "I think those ears are neat! Do all girls here have them?"

Sorceress laughed; "No, just me, I'm afraid." These two had the same curiosity that Vanellope had shown. She looked at Candlehead, who was looking like she was trying to memorize every detail. "And is there anything I can help you with?" She wasn't upset, but she was starting to feel a bit self conscious here.

Candlehead looked up to her. "Well, we're friends of Vanellope. She's got this thing for Ralph. And she's really mad because he doesn't see her as a girl… well, you know… a girl you can… kiss… and stuff."

Sorceress nodded to her. "I know about this. Ralph can be slow, but I think he is beginning to see the reality of the arcade as compared to the human world." She looked thoughtful a minute. "I think both of them have been locked away in their own small world for too long. Vanellope was held captive, and Ralph simply isolated by the way he was treated. Now they both must grow." She turned back to her drink. "But watch how you interfere, you two."

She saw them both step back, their faces tight. She continued; "Yes, I can see much. You plan something. I don't know what. Be sure you don't hurt them in this. They are both fragile right now."

Candlehead lightly grabbed Rancis's sleeve and began slowly backing them up. "Well… ummm… thank you, Sorceress. We really need to get going now. We'll chat some more next time." Candlehead turned them around and headed for the door. The Sorceress noted that they were walking pretty fast towards the entrance. She shook her head, hoping they wouldn't throw a wrench in the works.

Outside Tapper's, Rancis stared at Candlehead. "What was that about? Why the sudden rush?"

She leaned close, looking at the gate to Tapper's, almost like she was afraid of being overheard. "Did you hear her? She _sees_ things… she's _magic_. I didn't want her to find out what the plan is."

Rancis grabbed her shoulders. "Look, what we're doing isn't _wrong_, is it? Are we helping Vanellope or ourselves here?" He was beginning to question his reasons for this.

Candlehead took his hands from her shoulders, and clasped them together in hers. "No, Rancis, it's _not_ wrong. Feel it? The _code_ won't let us hurt her now. It's like a bonus lap if we get something from the deal, too." She looked down at a bench some yards away. Princess Peach was seated with Yuni, discussing the upcoming holiday.

Candlehead pulled Rancis along. "Now _there's_ some _different_ girls. Let's go see them."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The container for the street was different than buildings or characters. Smythe looked at the markings for where it started and ended. He was looking at his notebook again, and scribbling notes as he checked details. Finally, he touched part of the road, moving the end slightly, watching the numbers change. He carefully made tiny changes this way and that, watching the code markers adjust. Then he stopped, made a few notes, and closed his notebook.

"Well, that's all I dare do until we find out if I'm right."

Vanellope was confused about what he did. There was a hologram of the street, and he pulled at it, and that was all she noticed. There were numbers that were moving, but she was no wiser as to what he had actually changed.

"Well, what was that you did do?" She asked.

He turned around, floating, to face her. "Well, there's a spot in the game where the roads just don't meet. There's a gap there, and under it is nothing, and I mean _nothing_. There's a few places like that where pieces of the town just don't mesh. The problem, though, is that someone fell through one of the gaps." His face looked grim. "They were never seen again." He patted the container he had just shut. "If this worked, I sort of stretched the main street to make it touch the next one. The gap should close. And since it was only a few feet, nobody should notice the street isn't as wide by a few inches."

Vanellope tilted her head and asked; "Not as wide? Why did you have to change that?"

Smythe explained; "Remember when I said code cannot be created or destroyed? Now let's say you had a two-pound block of plastic explosives…"

"What's that?", Vanellope asked. It sounded dangerous… and _neat_.

He found another example. "Okay, you have a block of modeling clay, and…"

Vanellope shook her head. "Sorry… no wiser."

Smythe racked his brain a few seconds. Then he snapped his fingers. "All right. You have a two-pound ball of cookie dough. Got it?" Nod from Vanellope. He continued; "Now, I can take that ball, and flatten it into a big circle. I can roll it into a tube. I can make it short and fat, or stretch it out into a long rope." He pointed a finger at Vanellope. "But… what can I _not_ do?" She shrugged, listening closely. "I can't change the actual area of space it takes up. It's still the same amount of code… or cookie dough I started with." He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder to the container marked Main Street. "So the road was programmed to cover a certain area of the game… _so_ wide by _so_ long. To make it longer, those extra feet had to come from somewhere."

Vanellope felt her heart sink a little. The selfish part of her had wanted to watch and learn about changing the code. She had been developing an idea to change herself, just a little, for Ralph. But now, she found out that she can't suddenly make herself as tall as Tamora, or as big. Smythe had just shown her everything she needed to change the code, and the knowledge didn't help her the way she wanted.

She sighed. "Well, can we go back now?" The facts fit. As one of the only people to see Candy turn into Turbo, she remembered that they were about the same height, and the same body type. _So much for that idea_, she thought.

Smythe noticed her sudden change in attitude. He grabbed her arm, and pushed off towards the platform by the door.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Candlehead and Rancis were having a talk with Peach and Yuni. Candlehead, blushing slightly, had asked why they didn't look like the tall blond lady, or the Sorceress. She sort of wiggled her fingers at her chest.

Princess Peach giggled behind her hand. Yuni smiled, and touched Candlehead's cheek with her fingertips. "Oh, aren't you just the sweetest thing!" She reached out and took Rancis's hand in her other one. "You're both so _darling_!" Rancis turned a slightly red himself at that.

Yuni explained the code some; "We're like this because we were programmed as teenagers." She elbowed Peach in the ribs. "But I think _her_ problem is she didn't eat all her vegetables."

Peach laughed. "Yep. All we had around the castle were mushrooms. And I got tired of those pretty fast. Not a burger in the joint."

Rancis asked; "What's a vegetable?"

Peach and Yuni broke out into laughter, Yuni stamping her feet. She looked up at the two frowning racers. She put a fingertip under Rancis's chin. "We're sorry. We're not making fun of you like that. Everybody is out of sorts some when they first get to Game Central." She leaned over close to his face. "Besides, you're so _cute_. Be sure to come by DDR when you're in town next time."

Candlehead grabbed Rancis's sleeve, gently pulling him closer, and away from that very forward girl. "Well, thank you again, Miss Yuni. _We'll_ be sure to come by some time." Like she would let that vixen get her claws into _her_ boyfriend.

Rancis was looking at her funny as she pulled him towards the Sugar Rush gate. "I really don't know what your problem is _now_."

Candlehead replied as they went to the train; "I _don't_ have one. But I thought it was better to leave before I _did_. Besides, we have enough to go on now."

As the train started off, though, she wondered; _Did they?_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Going back through the door, Vanellope ran over to Ralph, and leaped into his arms. He held her loosely, but she was hanging onto his shirt, and pressing herself against his chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Did something happen out there? I told her not…"

"No, Ralph." She interrupted. "Nothing bad happened. It was like one of my dreams, except I was awake." She leaned back to look in his face. "I'm okay. I just need my Ralph sometimes."

Ralph checked her face closely. No tears, no red eyes… just a _fallen_ look. She had heard or seen _something_ to upset her, but wasn't wanting to talk about it.

Vanellope looked at his intent face, smiled slightly, and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, love. It's not a biggie. Not this time."

As the team gathered themselves to leave, Ralph noted that she clung to him, silent. She stayed that way all the way back to the café.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	14. Turning Point

**Turning Point.**

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Taffyta had been doing some soul searching lately. She wasn't used to feeling the way she did recently. She used to be the undisputed leader of the racers. She did and said what she pleased. She made King Candy happy with her actions against Vanellope. He had called her his 'lew-tennant', and patted her on the head, rewarding her with goodies and gold coins. She had felt so _proud_, and so _right_, serving the King. None dared cross her while she held the King's favor.

But then Candy had been a lie. An evil character that had taken the game. As the memories of Princess Vanellope came back, they mixed with the memories of all the bad she had done.

The respect of the racers was respect out of fear. As the days passed, and they found she had no more Royal protection, their attitudes, and their treatment of her, began changing. In the evenings, at their row of cottages, she was no longer invited around for drinks and snacks. She was ignored when possible. The others began calling her names, or making rude gestures when they crossed her path. Even Gloyd, who used to wait, and hold doors open for her, now slammed them in her face. They even went against her in the Random Roster Race. Now they ran her off the road, or blocked her so another could pass.

The memory of Vanellope hurt even more. Her programming dictated loyalty to the ruler. Now, her Princess was the same person she had mistreated. Guilt had never been a familiar feeling to her. Nor humility, or any other emotion that contained any compassion at all.

She did not know what to do to fix it. She knew the problem was with herself, or had been. The reset had been like a clean slate for her, but she realized she needed to do something with it. How could she win the friendship of the others back? But, she thought, had she ever had real friendship to begin with?

So she walked about thinking a lot, since nobody else wanted her company. The Candy Cane forest was quiet, and so was Chocolate Lake. It was a calm place to sit and think.

So she stopped and froze when she got to the Chocolate Lake, and saw the man sitting there.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Back at the café, having tea and cakes, Vanellope was more subdued than she normally was with her friends. She had pulled her chair nearer to Ralph, and even drank tea with one hand resting on his arm.

Calhoun noticed. Despite Smythe's report a few minutes ago that, after inspection, the road had been fully fixed, and he was planning the next issue, she frowned. _It's like she doesn't want him out of her sight. What did she think she was going to find in there?_

As Ralph and Felix went to get the bags of building parts Felix had sorted out earlier, Calhoun tapped Vanellope on the shoulder. "Why don't we have a girl chat for a few minutes." She whispered. Vanellope looked at Ralph, and finally nodded. The two men left.

Sipping her tea, Tamora looked across at Vanellope. Her cheerful, upbeat attitude was replaced by a permanent slight frown. "What happened? What did you see in there? My game shouldn't have done that to you." She reached out and gently laid her hand over Vanellope's. "It's _me_, sugar queen. We don't have any secrets, remember?" They had both bared their souls to each other. There was nothing left to be embarrassed about.

Vanellope looked up at her friend. She cleared her throat. "Ummm, I might have had my own reasons for going in there." She looked out into space. "I thought I could learn to change myself… just a little." She _sighed_. "But your man is good. He fixed things. And I saw that I could never do what I wanted, the _way_ I wanted." She looked into Tamora's eyes. "I can never be like _you_."

Tamora leaned towards her. "Sweetie, you don't want to be like me." She gave Vanellope a kiss on the forehead and leaned back. "Then you wouldn't be _you_ anymore. And we all need _you_."

Vanellope considered what the blond was saying. She was probably right. She couldn't shake the worry over Ralph, though. "I think I've got him, Tamora. I think I've got everything I want. I just wonder how long I can keep him."

She looked down at the table. A half-eaten cake sat on her plate. "I get the bravest, strongest, _nicest_ man in the entire arcade. He gets a messed-up, angry girl. I yell at him, and hit him, and he just holds me and tells me it'll be all right." She looked up with watery eyes. "I was _sure_ I was the best thing for him, and now I don't know."

Tamora frowned. After all this, she doubts herself? "Maybe he's right. You've spent so much time trying to out-think him that you might want to consider the fact he's right for once." She reached out and pushed a strand of hair back behind Vanellope's ear. "And the whole arcade knows you're good for him. But I think he's good for you, too." She tapped a finger against Vanellope's forehead. "And in _here_, I think you do too."

Vanellope gave her first faint smile since leaving the code room. "Now _I'm_ the one who just has to believe, and after all that yelling at _Ralph_." She dabbed her eyes with a napkin. "Can't let him see me like this."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Candlehead was telling her plan to Rancis and Sour Bill at the castle. She had an idea on what to do. They had Sour Bill's memory of Candy on what he did. She was ready to act.

"But now what, Bill? We have to get there first. You said you know what he did, but can you get _us_ there?"

Sour Bill had one last chance to change his mind. There was still no feeling of danger to his Princess. He made his choice. In front of him, he laid down a napkin. "Well, first we go to…"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Taffyta cocked her head. He looked like one of those Space Marines they were talking about. Tall, like the blond woman. He wasn't wearing the armor, though. Black pants, boots, and t-shirt, but he did have a belt loaded with assorted strange things, including a small version of those weapons they use. She also noticed that he was quite handsome, with a different kind of face than she was used to seeing. _Is this what Vanellope means when she talks about grown-up people?_, she thought. _She might have something there_.

She cleared her throat. "Ahem."

The man twirled around, his hand going instantly to the pistol on his hip. Taffyta, shocked, stepped back, raising her hands in front of her face. The man stopped still, looked at her closely, and gave her a small smile. "Sorry, there. Reflexes, you know. It's probably not smart to sneak up on us." His face became less cheerful. "In my game, when something is sneaking around, it means somebody is going to die." There was a faint _click_ as he secured the pistol again.

Taffyta lowered her shaking hands while waiting for her heart to drop back out of her throat. She was totally flustered. And his _speed_… it was _incredible_. They stared into each other's face for some time, both relaxing a bit. She couldn't get her brain working right. She had no idea what to say or do. She pointed to the beach where he was sitting. "That's my spot, you know."

The man looked down, then back up to her, a smile on his face. "Well, I didn't see your butt print on it, so I figured it was up for grabs."

Taffyta blinked. This conversation was going downhill fast.

The man lost the smile. "Sorry about that, lady. That's reflexes, too." He patted the beach beside him. "If you got a second, I can tell you a story as a way to apologize." He saw her hesitation. "I won't bite, you know."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tamora and Vanellope ambled up the hill towards the elevator. They could see some people up there, and of course, Ralph stood tall enough to pick out at this distance.

Vanellope was telling Tamora she was still worried. "He finally came out and said he _loved_ me, and he wants me to _help_ him." She frowned, and kicked a small stone away. "And I should be dancing for that. But I still want to be… something I'm… not. I want to be a _woman_ for him." Pushing one of those ever-present strands of stray hair back, she looked up at Tamora. "I at least didn't want to be so _childish_."

Tamora rested a hand on her shoulder. "Girl, I've never had that problem. I'm also _way_ younger than you. Sometimes I'm scared to even talk to you, because I think I can only make things worse." She stopped, and the pressure on Vanellope's shoulder had her turn to the blond. "But in my short life, I've seen a lot of different things in the arcade. All the different people in it seem to be quite happy with who, or even what, they are."

She knelt down to be eye level with Vanellope. "But you've been places nobody else has. Dark places. You want to be safe. That may be part of why you love Ralph. You _know_ you can trust him." She put a finger under Vanellope's chin. "But your real problem is you don't trust _yourself_. It's not Ralph. You're scared to give things enough _time_. You think time works _against_ you, but here it can work _for_ you. Get me?"

Vanellope took that in. "I get it, Tamora. I understand it." She looked towards the elevator. Ralph had just placed one of the bags inside. The door closed. She saw Ralph, Felix, and a few of the Marines talking and laughing. Ralph was starting to make friends everywhere. Once people heard the stories, and stopped being afraid of him, they were quick to find out that Ralph was an okay guy. That's part of what scared her. She remembered the café owner. Girls are going to do that, too. She was forced to trust his feelings for her.

She looked back to Tamora. "I _get_ it. I just have problems _doing_ it."

Tamora patted her shoulder as she stood up. "Don't we all?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

So after a long while, considering how Sour Bill talked, he finally explained everything.

Rancis frowned. "Sounds easy enough, but nothing has ever been easy around here. There's got to be a catch."

Candlehead tapped the table with a fingernail and looked from one to the other.

Sour Bill sighed. "Well… for one, she has to be here… in this game. Her code here isn't… active… if she's gone. Then, she has to be asleep… he said 'offline'."

Candlehead pondered. "Still doesn't sound too hard. Bill, you can tell us when she's asleep. She's out now, but surely she'll stay here some night soon."

Rancis just shrugged. "So now we just wait."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A bit wary, Taffyta walked up and sat near the trooper, facing out over Chocolate Lake. She was trying to catch glimpses of the man out of the corner of her eye. It was quiet for a minute.

Finally, she turned to him. "I thought there was a story?" He had bright green eyes. _Why was her heart going so fast?_

He smiled. "Yeah, I'd better explain, before you get as… mad as everyone else." He put out a hand to shake; "I'm Alek Foster, by the way."

Taffyta put out her hand. His grip was warm. "Taffyta Muttonfudge. Ummmm, nice to meet you."

He smiled again. "We'll see. I'm more commonly known in my game as '_Smart Alek_'." He looked back over the lake and frowned. "The Sarge has been trying to tell us all about the programming. A lot of us have memories of stuff that never happened. But some of us have a hard time trying to fight it."

He looked at Taffyta. "See, my personality is that I'm, like, the comic relief of the platoon. I'm the smarta… uh… smart _guy_. I'm the demolitions guy. And nine times out of ten, I am going to say the most sarcastic, insulting thing I possibly can." He sighed. "That's what I'm trying to fight. And my code doesn't make me many friends when we're off duty, either."

He waved a hand around. "This place is completely the opposite of my game. I thought it might be the perfect spot to try being the opposite of myself. Peaceful… no bugs."

Taffyta laughed. "Ha! Should have been here last week, then. They ate the whole game."

He nodded. "Yeah, I just miss all the fun."

Taffyta scooted over closer to him. Hoping he couldn't hear her heart pounding, she reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Look, Alek. At least you have a real reason to be the way you are. I think I'm just naturally mean. I just spent fifteen years running over everyone. So you're one up on me there."

Alek looked over at her. "Well, they say the prettiest ones are the worst bit… uh… what I… umm… oh, he… eck."

He looked down. "Sorry. I did warn you."

Taffyta stood up and did the boldest thing she ever did in a lifetime of bold things. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Never apologize for calling a girl pretty."

She sat back down, but this time scrunched up against Alek. She wrapped her arm around his, and leaned against him. "Now _this_, I could get used to."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Calhoun and Vanellope sat off to one side, sipping iced tea and watching the men. Mary had seen them working, and brought out a pitcher and some glasses.

This was the other side of the team at work now. Ralph had easily been able to move the ton or so of wreckage from _Hero's Duty_. Felix had laid out a section of empty area well off to the side of the world visible to Players.

One thing never stopped looking like magic to them, though. Under Felix's direction, Ralph would place a part of a building just _so_, then Felix would hit it with his hammer. The two women soon saw a long foundation of townhouses appear from a few stones.

"You guys are really something." Vanellope said as they took a break. Handing Ralph a glass, she smiled at him.

Ralph shrugged. "All in a day's work around here." He looked at the start of the street. "I'm glad Felix likes the idea. I'd hate to try this alone."

Vanellope giggled. "Like the cart?"

Ralph smiled. "Yeah. They'd probably come out looking just like that."

Felix smiled at Calhoun. "And I picked the end one for you and me, Tamora."

"Me?"

Felix nodded. "Well, we're getting married, and you kept hitting your head in my place, so I though a home from your game would work better. And it's a nice one, too. It's got bedrooms for both of us."

Calhoun cocked her head. Had she heard that right? She leaned down and looked Felix dead in the eyes. "Honey, you know we are getting married, right?"

Felix nodded.

"And you know all about married people, right?"

Felix gave his '_I'm trying to think really hard about it_' look, and then shook his head.

She leaned closer. "Married people sleep in the same bedroom."

Felix thought about this as he started flushing. "Well, I can move my bed against one wall, and move the other-"

She whispered. "In the same _bed_."

Felix froze still as stone.

Ralph and Vanellope watched his face go red. Not a simple pink strawberry color, but full tomato.

Ralph looked at Calhoun. "You didn't finally break his brain, did you?"

She leaned back and smiled. "I'm not sure. Just how old _is_ your code, Wreck-it?"

Vanellope waved a hand in front of Felix. "Wow. How do you get him out of it?"

Calhoun smiled as she puckered up her first-aid kit, and grabbed his collar.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Taffyta and Alek talked a while. Well, Taffyta talked mostly, and Alek listened. He enjoyed staring into the unusually colored eyes of the blond girl. They were practically hypnotizing. He was scared to open his mouth and scare her away.

Then, his comm beeped. He stood up. "Well, can't say it's been fun, but home's calling."

Taffyta was beginning to understand him by now. She was learning that everything he said needed to be translated. She knew nothing about other languages, but the concept would have seemed familiar here.

She stood up and brushed the sugar sand from her. "I'll walk with you to the gate."

"No need, sweetheart." He said, but he was looking at her.

She reached out and grabbed his hand in hers. "Just shut up and look cute, okay?"

He smiled. "Looking cute is my specialty. What's yours?"

Taffyta sighed. "Putting up with you, apparently."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Felix and Ralph now had the foundation complete for the row of townhouses. Felix was sorting out bits of appliances and furniture for use later.

Ralph was lying there, leaning on the end of the building, Vanellope next to him, leaning on his side. She liked the way his arm curved protectively around her.

Tamora had been right about one thing. She needed Ralph to feel safe. Her castle hadn't protected her from Candy's plans. Her companies of guards hadn't. The other racers had been clueless. But he had fought for her. As friendly and loyal as the others of her game were now, she couldn't forget that. Being outside her game, the rules of loyalty didn't affect him. He could fight for _her_. Always.

Sometimes she wished the rules would apply to him, too. That would help the worries she had about keeping him with her.

Ralph noticed the unusual attitude. The girl simply was never this quiet for so long. "Cookie for your thoughts."

Vanellope leaned back against Ralph and stretched. "Nothing much. Thinking. Stuff."

Ralph toyed with a bit of dangling hair with a finger. "Don't strain that brain of yours."

She smiled and dug an elbow into his ribs. "It's getting tired doing the thinking for both of us."

Calhoun was lying on her side, head propped on an elbow. She was enjoying the quiet, watching Felix, and just at peace with the world. Then her comm beeped.

She stood up. "A couple hours before the arcade opens, kids. Time for some of us to get home."

Felix dropped the piece he was holding and walked over to her. "I can walk you home."

She smiled and cupped his cheek. "That's okay, lover. You're already home." She looked over towards the other two. "Hey, Vanellope! Time to move out!"

Vanellope actually had to put some effort into getting up. She was reluctant to leave the peace and safety she had come to associate with the big lug. "Okay, okay. _Sheesh_." She stood on her toes and kissed Ralph on the cheek. "You heard miss bossy pants. See you later?"

Ralph rubbed a thumb on the side of her face. "Sure thing. How about Tapper's right after the arcade closes?"

She smiled as she turned. "It's a date."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Getting out of the train cars, Calhoun saw Vanellope walking with a hint of a smile. "Everything okay now?"

Vanellope nodded. "I'm doing what you said, about giving it a chance." She looked up at the blond. "Sometimes it's hard being in different games. I don't like being away from him that long." She glanced back to the _Wreck-it Ralph_ gateway. "I don't like it at all."

They said their goodbyes, and Vanellope mentioned the meeting at Tapper's after closing. "But if you're too busy kissing Felix, it's okay if you don't make it." She smirked.

Calhoun took a slow swipe at her which she easily avoided. "We'll see, young lady. But don't come looking for us."

Vanellope waved once more as she walked to the _Sugar Rush_ gateway. She was so lost in thought, she didn't even notice the train had stopped at the entrance. Duncan was standing there with a couple of the guards, and she waved to him as she got in her cart.

Minutes later, at the castle, she wondered why she rushed. She had a couple of hours, and it only took her seconds to dress for the game. She yawned, and thought she might just take a nap. She needed to see if her new mind set would help the dreams any.

Glitching into her pajamas, she crawled under the covers and was out instantly.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sour Bill checked, and went straight to the throne room. Rancis and Candlehead had run there as soon as Bill told them Vanellope was back. They had hoped she would sleep.

Sour Bill led the way behind the curtain, through a hidden door, and down the passage to the code. With the napkin he provided, Candlehead pressed out the entrance code.

"Wow." Was all Rancis could say. The enormous empty space filled with the sections of the game's code spread before them.

Sour Bill handed each of them the end of a licorice rope. "Now, we don't know how long you have. So hurry."

Candlehead looked around until she saw Vanellope's code. Grabbing Rancis's hand, she shoved off, floating in the open space. She felt a bit dizzy, and looking over at Rancis, he wasn't very comfortable about it, either. She squeezed his hand, and got a small smile in return.

They stopped at Vanellope's code. Or at least, Candlehead stopped. Rancis's fingers slipped off the edge and she had to grab his rope, pulling him to a stop. He looked just a bit green.

Both of them stared at the container. They looked at each other. This was it, the last chance to turn back. They both took a deep breath, and looked as Candlehead opened the container.

And their eyes blinked at the glare. She owned a _lot_ of stuff. Sorting through them until they found her own, personal code section. Holding her breath, Candlehead opened it.

"That's all there is to it?" Rancis looked confused. It simply looked like a picture of Vanellope, with a bunch of little arrows pointing to various parts. "How do we change her?"

Candlehead looked and thought a while. Everything in the code looked very literal. The picture is what the code was made up of. Or was it the other way around? Then there was Sour Bill's notes on what he had watched Candy do.

Holding her breath, she pressed her finger against the top of Vanellope's 'head' and pushed upwards, making 'her' taller.

Then they stared at the result.

"Is that what was supposed to happen?" Rancis asked. Because that _sure_ didn't make it better.

They surveyed their work. Now, the code Vanellope looked like nothing more than a long stick figure.

"I think you overdid it." Rancis quipped. "Just a bit, don't you think?"

Candlehead frowned. She could fix this. Pulling downward on the head returned her to her normal shape.

"We don't have all night to figure this out, Rancis. What can we do?" she said.

He thought about it. "Well, taller means thinner, right? So just try a little bit."

She did so, just moving the head upwards a tiny bit.

Rancis was trying to understand what was happening. "Could you do something little, like… maybe make her feet smaller?"

Candlehead pressed from several directions on one overly large foot. The leg got longer. She started to understand.

"Okay. The… errr… _leftover_ foot stuff moves somewhere _else_." She did the same thing to the other leg.

Rancis nodded. "Now the hands. Did you see how little the Sorceress's were compared to ours?"

Candlehead stared at him. "I didn't think you noticed her _hands_ at all."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Never mind." She went back to adjusting the Vanellope code.

They spent the next hour moving bits of Vanellope's code around. Rancis had drawn a sketch of the Sorceress to use as a guide. They could move a bit here, shape a line there, squeeze an area smaller, or longer, or larger. Slowly, they were approaching what Candlehead was aiming for.

She looked at his drawing again. "There's no way _those_ are going to be _that_ big! I didn't think they were, anyway." She admonished Rancis.

"They were from _my_ angle." Rancis countered. "I can't help it if she was three feet taller than me!"

Candlehead snorted and went back to fine tuning the image.

Finally, she was as finished as she could be.

Rancis looked at the code from different angles. "Not quite the Sorceress, is she?"

Candlehead shrugged. "But not like she was, and not as straight as that dance girl, either."

She looked at Rancis as she closed the container. "Well, we'll just have to see what happens now." She jerked a thumb back towards the entry. "Better get back."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a knock at the door. Sour Bill was waking his Princess up. "Your Highness… arcade opening."

Vanellope moaned. She rolled over. She had been having the _strangest_ dream! "Okay! I'm up! You can come in."

The door opened partway, and Sour Bill peeked his head, which in fact was his entire body, around the door.

His eyes were as big as jawbreakers, and his mouth almost, but not quite, hit the floor.

Vanellope glanced over at him. "Well, aren't you going to… what is it? I always look like this in the morning, don't…" She shifted her gaze to the mirror across the room. "…I?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Sorceress awoke with a start. She had a funny feeling. Not an urgent, horrible, arcade-crashing one, but rather a very real sense of… _unease_. Shaking her head, she got up to start a new day. She'd need to keep an eye out.


End file.
